Rain of Sorrow
by shirozora
Summary: A two year calm shatters with the beginning of the final gathering. A holocaust in the horizon but no Keyblade Master stands to stop it. How far will Kairi and Riku go to find him? What truth remains behind Sora's disappearance? DISCONTINUED
1. Prologue: How Much Longer?

**Author's Note**: Oooh…I feel bad. I got an inspiration and I'm writing another story again. To make things worse, I'm using the Korean Word program and I can't figure out why things like double-spacing occurs when I type this. Well, anyways, I started another Kingdom Hearts fanfiction so bear with me, people. And don't worry, I haven't lost interest in my other stories yet; far from it, actually, so here's another one.

**Author's Note 2:** I decided the prologue should at least be rewritten, before I start tackling parts of the other chapters to better fit the prequel I began, _Our Last Memories_. Unfortunately I believe the storyline I set up for _Our Last Memories_ is far more interesting than the one I originally set up for _Rain of Sorrow_ because _OLM_ deals with some issues that I didn't know what to do about in _RoS_. So if you read both stories already, you might as well start rereading the rewrites. If you are new to this, please read _Our Last Memories_ first; that is my recommendation. But if you want, you can read this story, too. Sorry for the inconvenience; I hope to explain more in my blogspot page. The address can be found in my Bio page.

**Copyrights**: All characters belong to Square-Enix and Disney, but the storyline remains mine.

Rain of Sorrow Prologue: How Much Longer? 

This is the fifth year now. It's been four whole years since the Heartless first came to Destiny Islands, did you know that? How has time gone on like this? Twice I've seen you since you first gave me back my heart, and each time you told me you'd come back. You promised, remember? You never break your promises. That's the one 'part of you I knew would never change.

But you have changed. I remember when I told you never to change but you did. I guess we all grow up, and I guess Time loves change. I still remember when we were fourteen, stupid, and naïve; you were always the one who made me laugh, always the one who cheered us up. If it weren't for you, Riku wouldn't be who he was, before he started wondering about the world beyond. If it weren't for you, where would I be? Where would the three of us be? What would have become of me if you hadn't entered my life…or if I hadn't entered yours?

The last time I saw you, you've grown. Haven't we all? But as we grew older, we lost ourselves. Wasn't that why you forgot me, the same way I forgot you? I'm just glad he helped bring us back together, even though I could never thank him. I forgot his name, Sora, the same way I nearly forgot yours. Why do we forget so easily? It's been two years, Sora, and I can barely remember how you look like. I can't remember your voice, I can't hear it anymore.

Where did you go? You were supposed to find the Door of Light but when we met again, you were no closer to it than you were the year before. And then, you vanished.

Riku came back this summer, two years after I left you two at Disney Castle. You, Riku, Donald, Goofy, and His Majesty King Mickey were fighting that red-haired man, who wanted to open that door. Strange, I forgot his name, too. But no matter. Riku came back, alone, badly beaten, shaken to the core. And without memory. He managed to make it back here but he didn't remember what happened after I left you, and went home. He didn't know where everybody was. And then I remembered that huge explosion of white light as the gummi ship I was in pulled away towards Destiny Islands. Was that what happened?

Sora, I've been waiting. Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie have been waiting, too. We can't stop Time, though; we can't pause it and just wait for you to come back. Life moves on. New people have passed through our world, our home, with some staying and some going. Some people we knew have left, and others, like the Mayor, are no more. Destiny Islands has changed so much since the last time I saw you.

I wonder where you are. On these dark, rainy days I still dream of you, though I can barely recall you. I sit in these classes at the local high school, and though I'm supposed to work like my very life depends on it, I know what's out there and I can't help but let my mind drift away, back to you and your destiny. Do you know what school is, Sora? People think schools and universities and colleges are the most important institutions and philosophies in one's life but you know and I know that's not true. I know what's out there. I've always known. You know how strange it feels, listening to these adults talk on and on as though they know everything? They think they know, but Riku and I, we know more. We know the truth but we can't say anything. Why should we? Who'd believe us? I've been labeled 'crazy' before, and I don't want to be called that again.

Please, Sora, please come home. I've been waiting, always waiting, but I know sooner or later, I'm going to have to move on with life. I don't want to let you go, don't' want to lose your laughter, your smile, your eyes forever. I've been waiting for so long, Sora, and I don't want to lose you. I don't want to let you go without telling you what I've always wanted to tell you but could never say.

I love you.

I wish I told you before we went our separate ways, but now I can't.

Wherever you are, think on me. Don't forget me, Sora. Please.

**Author's Endnote**: Well, I wonder how that went. It's only the prologue so nothing to worry! I wonder how fast I'll end up updating the first chapter, though…please review; I'd like to hear your thoughts on this!

**Author's Endnote 2**: The revision is done and I need to get back to homework. It'll be a while before the rest are revised, along with all my other works. I have a feeling my parents are getting suspicious of this constant typing…but please review. Long reviews, questions, comments, and critiques are welcome, especially from those who have read the original prologue. Thanks.


	2. Ordinary

**Author's Note**: Well the only thing on my mind is saying that the story won't always be in first person narrative, as I always have more trouble writing first person, hehehehehe... I might as well get at least two chapters up before deciding whether to continue with the third chapter (otherwise known as the second chapter) here in Korea or back in the States while tackling my other crap.

**Paopu**: Your very welcome. I thought Take Me Away was a good story and I'm waiting to hear more XD. I hope you like the first chapter…

**Duelwielder**: Don't cry…not yet at least. I really don't know where this story's headed so I'll make it up as I go…well here's the next chapter.

**Rain of Sorrow**

**Chapter 1: Ordinary**

…_I wonder_, she thought, still watching the rain drops fall.

" A-hem! Miss Hitoame, will you please bring your attention back to Shakespeare and not out there?" Mr. Posito, her twelfth-grade English Literature teacher barked from the front of the class.

" What? Oh, sorry…" Kairi muttered, slumping in her seat and trying to pay attention to the thick text of Shakespeare in front of her. She twisted a lock of long red hair in her fingers, trying to pay attention to the portion of _Much Ado About Nothing_ the class had been assigned to assess for the day – the part when Beatrice told the jester what she thought about Benedick, not realizing that the jester _was_ Benedick.

Her blue-violet eyes strayed to the downpour outside again, trying to look beyond the raindrops into the sea where Destiny Islands were…

" Kairi!" Riku hissed from behind her. " Focus or he'll really get you this time!"

She jumped but didn't get so much as a twitching eyebrow from their Italian teacher, who was busy sipping his daily Jamba Juice and reading some Greek tragedy at his desk up front. Sighing in relief, the redhead turned in her seat to glare at her friend. " You ass, he's at his Jamba Juice!"

" I know, I know, but really you have to focus," the silver-haired 'image of perfection' muttered. " You haven't hit the C's yet but if you keep at it, you'll be getting straight D's! Then what?"

" I'll bring my grades back up, relax," she muttered and slumped forward in her seat, resting her head on her arm as she numbly skimmed through the thick but rather entertaining dialogue between Benedick and the ever-gracious Don Pedro.

Her mind wandered. A teenager with unruly sunburnt brown hair came to mind.

" Sora…"

_Ring!_

" Alright you lot," Mr. Posito began before they could escape him, " read up to page 143 and expect some serious questions tomorrow first thing in the door. Have fun with Mr. Whiteman now. Scram!"

Kairi sighed as she collected her things in her black backpack. It seemed like time had flown, like nothing had happened between entering class and leaving it, just like in every other class she had. All because of Sora.

" _Still daydreaming about him? Face it Kairi, he won't be coming back anytime soon! Isn't it time for you to move on with life?"_

Selphie's words still echoed in her mind as she straightened the blue-plaid tie on her white blouse and pulled her backpack's straps around her slim shoulders.

_Move on? How can I move on without you? Two years, not to mention the year in between our two meetings, I've been waiting for you. Move on with life? I can't, not without you-_

" Kairi?" Tidus, her blond childhood friend, tapped her on the shoulder. He, Selphie, and Riku were standing around her, waiting for her to move. " C'mon, we've got Mr. Whiteman. Best not be late to _his_ class."

" Huh? Oh, sorry…" Kairi muttered, her bangs shrouding her face. Selphie placed a hand on her shoulder.

" It's okay. C'mon, let's go."

The four trudged out of class and into the crowded hall.

" Wish they made hallways bigger," Riku grunted as he pushed his way through a clique of cheerleaders; they gawked after him, amazed he had actually forced himself through the little group. " Makes contact with less desirable humans impossible."

Selphie giggled and Tidus snorted. Kairi smiled.

" And define 'less desirable', Riku," Kairi called out playfully.

" Oh you know, people who think they're king of the world," he called back while fiddling with the dark blue jacket he had flung over his shoulder. The jacket was standard-issue, as well as the dark blue pants, the white dress shirt, and the blue-plaid tie.

" I know someone who ran along that train of thought," Selphie heard Kairi murmur as they exited the building and headed for the one next to it.

''

" Nothing like after school of the third Tuesday of the school year, yah?" Wakka grinned as they walked out of Fate Memorial High School. His arm was slung around his girlfriend's shoulder.

" Wakka, don't start that childish nonsense again," Lulu said calmly, her heavy-lidded eyes practically glaring at the cocky redhead. " You're in twelfth grade now; after this year, we're moving on to the big world. People out there don't appreciate ten-year-old behavior from fresh high school graduates."

" Sorry, sorry," he replied hastily. " So, where to?"

Kairi, Riku, Selphie, and Tidus groaned.

" Don't you remember?" Selphie all but yelled at him. " We have practice with Auron after school every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday! I swear that the blitzball's getting to you-"

" Oh he's been hit in the head a couple of times so don't mind him," Tidus waved him off. " Although it is a bit frustrating seeing that every Tuesday he's been asking that…"

Two years ago, Auron appeared at Tidus' doorstep identifying himself as an old friend of his father, Jecht. It shocked both Tidus and his mother as Jecht had been dead for about fifteen years and they had finally gotten over it. What shocked Tidus even more was who the bespectacled man with the sake jug brought with him: Yuna ben-Braska, the orphaned daughter of another of Auron's friends.

That and the fact that Riku was immediately able to identify Auron when he came back to the Islands…not that either one of them would explain anything to the others in the first place.

"..and speak of the devil, there's Yuna waiting for us," Riku said, managing to wave at the brunette while jabbing Tidus in the side.

" Ow! What the fuck was that for, you bastard?" Tidus yelled back, ready to tackle the taller man.

" Let's do this later, please!" Selphie yelled, coming in between the two. " Show that move later to Auron, Tidus but right now's not the time!"

" Especially with such a slippery surface," Kairi murmured, gesturing to the wet sidewalk with her foot.

" Hey guys!" Yuna exclaimed as they approached her. Her mismatched eyes twinkled with happiness. " Hey Tidus!"

" Uh…hi, Yuna," the blond teenager stammered back, turning pink.

" So, how's school?" Lulu asked, referring to the private school the other girl attended.

" Boring as the teachings of Yevon," she answered with a shrug. " But what can I say; Auron won't let me go elsewhere. Said that's what my father wanted. And since that's what my dad wanted, why not?"

" Can't you just tell him you want to go to a public school?" Tidus asked as the group began to move along; Auron's little 'fight club' was three good blocks away and he hated them to be later than 3:45. " Can't be that hard to ask, right?"

" Tidus, remember who Auron is?" Yuna sighed, rolling her eyes.

" Oh…I knew that," he muttered, scratching his head.

" So typical of him," Selphie jabbed at his arm. " Hey, where are the others?"

" Remember, Naminé has the flu and Irvine's got shooting practice. Or did you forget like Tidus and Wakka here?" Kairi replied, before running ahead of them to press the button at the corner of an intersection to tell the signals to change. Fact was, that was a good distance away from the others; this let them discuss her.

" Still hasn't changed," Lulu sighed, shaking her head. Her long dark braids swished as she picked at her white blouse. " Is this 'Sora' really worth holding on to?"

" You tell me; I'm a guy and I've got different interests," Riku shrugged. " But really, I don't know. She's been waiting for a long time so I guess it's just not…easy letting him go."

" If it weren't for that little collision we had, it would've been three years," Selphie informed. " Then again, two years is a heck of a long time."

" I should imagine," Riku snorted. " I was gone for just as long, too."

" But you came back, mate," Wakka pointed out. " _He_ didn't."

" Tell that to her," Yuna murmured sadly, watching the auburn-haired teenager wait for them. " It'll kill her to let him go and move on with life."

" Or it could be the best thing for her," Lulu countered. " Hanging onto the past has a way of twisting your mind. Time moves on; so should the person. The longer she stays in the past, the further she falls behind."

Riku bit his lip, withholding his say. Truth was, he had been hanging onto the past, too; he just hasn't been clinging onto it like his life depended on it. After all, he had forgotten most of what happened since the last time the trio split.

Selphie's face suddenly materialized in front of his. " Why the long face?"

" Gah! Selphie!" Riku yelled. " Don't do that!"

" Do what?" she scowled. " Two of my best friends are groaning and moaning and brooding and the rest of us are going to step back and watch? I think not!"

" You remind me of Yuffie…" he muttered under his breath as he adjusted his dark sunglasses; his eyes had always been a little sensitive to the light, especially the likes of the sun bursting through the emptied rain clouds.

" Who!"

" No one, you wouldn't know."

She scowled again as they finally reached Kairi. She seemed to be spacing out again.

" Destiny Islands to Kairi, your friends are here now," Selphie exclaimed, waving her hand in front of the girl's face. " Geezes, you two seriously need to see a shrink."

" Do not!" she and Riku protested at the same time.

" Yup," Lulu nodded in agreement as the walk sign refused to change to green. " You guys should discuss issues with each other and the shrink; after all you two do share a history with this 'Sora'."

Kairi twitched involuntarily but let it go; Lulu, like Yuna, never knew Sora.

" Whoa, who's that dude?" Wakka suddenly interrupted, staring into the distance.

" Where?" the others demanded, following his line of sight.

" I don't see anything-oh…" Tidus spotted the person in question. " Whoa, who's that?"

Kairi felt Riku bristle unexpectedly and placed a hand on his arm. " What's wrong?"

" N-nothing…nothing at all," he managed to reply, while his eyes settled on the tall figure in the black trench coat. It - they really couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman - was standing on the opposite sidewalk south of them. They could see nothing under the hood but they knew the person was watching them.

" What's he staring at?" Wakka scowled, pulling Lulu closer to him. " Is that even a guy?"

" I think so," Tidus answered with a shrug. " Doesn't look like the nicest person, though…"

Kairi felt like she was burning; the person seemed to be staring at her. After a long minute, the hooded person turned and kept walking southward, crossing a street and vanishing from sight.

" That…was officially weird," Selphie declared. " Oh lookie, it's green. C'mon you guys; we've got ten minutes! Who wants to do fifty push-ups?"

At the last statement the horde of teenagers started moving.

_Who was that?_ Kairi wondered as they rushed for Auron's 'fight club'. _And why did Riku act so tense? Does he know who that person is?_

As they neared the building where Auron's 'store' was and saw him standing grimly outside the door, she heard Wakka swear.

" Three minutes late. Fifty push-ups."

He strode in, leaving the teenagers to catch their breath and curse their ill luck.

Kairi looked up at the sky; the sun had disappeared. Then a raindrop fell.

It started to rain.

''

" Staff or sword, Kairi?" Auron asked while Wakka and Tidus sat down to catch their breaths. They had been up on the blue cushioned platform in the air-conditioned room for ten minutes, sparing with a sword and a blitzball. In the adjacent room, the auburn-haired girl could hear explosions as Yuna and Lulu tested their black magic skills against each other.

" Sword, as usual," she muttered stiffly, taking the two-handed sword from the grim man. _Why the hell does he always offer the staff?_

" Alright!" Selphie grinned as she got up as well. " Ready to get your-"

" Riku, step forward. Selphie, sit down," Auron interrupted. With a shocked look on her face, the brunette fell back as the tall silverhead strode forward. There was a questioning look on his face: _me?_

" Yes, you," their trainer replied to his face. " Heartless are still roaming and you're the only one with real experience against them. Fighting, I mean."

He cast a meaningful look at Kairi, suddenly reminding her that she was, after all, a Princess of Heart. " And Kairi needs to step up in class."

" What, I'm not _that_ bad!" Wakka protested goodnaturedly while Tidus staggered off looking for the water dispenser.

" You're a blitzball freak; that's enough for you but it won't do good for the rest of the stick-wielding people if all the practice they got was whacking the ball like baseball. Now start stretching or your muscles are going to cramp. How many times do I have to remind you-"

" Alright, alright; I get it, sheesh…" Wakka muttered.

" Good," Auron nodded before turning to Riku and Kairi, who were both standing on the blue cushions and looking scared as hell. " What's with the look? Kairi, you need a challenge. Riku, don't kill her."

Kairi paled. Riku saw this and told Auron, " Wasn't the right choice of words to use-"

" Tell that to the Heartless. Now, on the count of three, start sparring. I want five minutes of the drills, then five minutes of hardcore sword-fighting. I wanna see how well Kairi can stand up to brute strength using a two-handed sword."

She paled again, knowing full well how strong Riku was; he was always the strongest one, after all. She eyed the Soul Eater in his hand nervously.

" Its okay, Kairi," Riku smiled reassuringly. " I won't 'kill' you."

She couldn't help but smile back, as Auron cleared his throat. " Drill!"

''

" Are we done yet?" Selphie gasped as she sat down on one of the cushions scattered around the blue platform; she had the bad luck of sparring with Auron this time and finally knew what it meant to fight. Usually it was Riku who fought him but this time…

" Why not? Everyone's done with practice for the day," Auron remarked, eyeing all the teenagers with a criticizing look. " You lot look like misery hugged you. After all those months of practice, these drills still tire you? Mustn't be doing my job right-"

" Oh no, you do fine," Yuna praised hastily as she jumped to her feet. Sweat sprayed as she staggered. " Ow…shouldn't have done that…"

Auron raised an eyebrow. " No, you shouldn't have. The rest of you, why aren't you stretching? After all I said to Wakka, you lot decided to act just like him? What a surprise…"

" What'ya mean? It's not my fault I'm so popular!" Wakka protested. Tidus hit him on the head. " Ow, man, that really hurt!"

" Go figure. Now go on; git home. It's raining like misery and it'll get worse if you lot don't leave any sooner."

The others – especially the girls – glared at him.

" Why didn't we bring an umbrella?" Kairi offered to ask.

" Because we were stupid enough not to pay attention to the weatherman this morning?" Selphie suggested. " Then again, who pays attention to the morning news anyways?"

" Uh…me?" Yuna smiled nervously.

" And you didn't bring an umbrella anyways?" Lulu questioned. " Nice."

" Don't blame her," Tidus shot back. " I watched the weatherman this morning, too, but I didn't bring an umbrella."

" Interesting comparison," Auron sniffed. " Sorry but I don't have any umbrellas so I suggest you guys run for it."

" Aw man, this ain't cool," Wakka groaned. " Lulu, you like getting wet?"

" No, do you?"

" Yeah, see that's the problem-"

" What did I say?" Auron asked, an edge in his voice.

" Right, right, we're going, we're going," Selphie said hastily as she packed up her nunchuks. " Let's go, you guys!"

They turned to leave.

" Kairi, Riku, don't go yet," Auron called out. " I have to talk to you guys."

Looking at each other quizzically, they turned to him. The others watched curiously, too, but Yuna picked up the cue from Auron immediately.

" Uh…right, let's go, shall we?" she smiled nervously as she shoved the others into the rain. Ignoring the cursing from Tidus and Wakka, she shut the door, leaving the silverhead and the redhead with the grim man, who was taking a swig from his jug.

" I want to talk to you two because you two are connected to some very important people," Auron looked at each of them sternly before reaching behind him. He brought out a tall staff, made of gleaming lacquered hardwood and capped with silvery metal.

" Here, Kairi; I seriously think you do better with the staff," he said gruffly, tossing it to her. Kairi caught it and was more than surprised at its light weight.

" What is it that you want to talk to us with?" Riku demanded, knowing there was more.

" The guys at Traverse Town radioed me with some news," Auron began but was immediately cut off.

" Traverse Town? Is it about Sora?" Kairi demanded, her eyes suddenly bright with faint hope.

" I'm sorry but no; they don't know any more than the rest of the Universe," Auron replied. Kairi was crestfallen and he offered her a look of sympathy. " However, Squall-I mean, Leon told me King Mickey's come back."

This time it was Riku who interrupted him. " The King? How? Where has he been? What about Donald and Goofy-"

" I'd tell you if you let me finish," Auron snapped. " All three of them appeared in front of Highwind's shop. Looked like a mess, just like you. And, like you, they don't remember anything."

" Them, too?" Kairi whispered. " So they don't know what happened to Sora?"

" They only recalled a blast of darkness and an explosion of light. More could have happened since then but none of them could remember anything. Aerith and Rinoa are dealing with them right now and they'll be headed to Disney soon afterwards."

Riku sighed and sat on the blue platform. " No luck. Still no luck. Where the hell did Sora go!"

" Hmmf," Auron grumbled back. " There are…some who would know, but that I'm not quite sure of-"

" Who?" Kairi demanded.

Auron looked up at the clock up on the wall above the door. " I'd tell you but it'll take a while to explain everything. You two should go; it's getting late."

Kairi sighed. There goes hope again, hope of hearing about Sora, about his whereabouts, whether or not he really did find the Door…

A hand rested on her shoulder and she looked up into Auron's face.

" Kairi, I'm sorry."

" It's-it's okay," she muttered. " There's always better luck tomorrow."

She turned to the door; Riku was already waiting for her.

As they left, she heard him saying," That's what they always say…"


	3. Still Alone

**Author's Note**: Okay…another chapter. Geezes, I'm just reeling it all out, aren't I? Well anyways, if all things go well, we'll be seeing who that hooded person is soon…and this chapter's going to be first person perspective, since I wanna see just how I'll be faring dealing with this type of POV in an actual story. But wow, thanks for reviewing, people. Didn't expect all this.

**The-3-Amigos**: Is Sora dead or alive? Well, we'll have to find out, won't we?

**AnimeGamer10**: Yes, I will update soon. Like right now XD

**Sorasgirl333**: I'll continue with it. Makes it harder for me but I'll give it my best shot. Thanks

**Princess Kairi**: Haha, my story's more original? That's the funniest and best compliment I ever got! Thanks. Hm…I'll think about that a bit.

**Miko102**: Yes, like I said, I'll update soon. Like right now. XP

**Majakins**: oh boy….(read the aforementioned response)

**Thesrazrbladekisses**: wow, what's ON your favs list? I must see…and yes, read the afore-aforementioned response.

Thanks, people! I feel good…(starts singing)

**Rain of Sorrow**

**Chapter 2: Still Alone…**

_Gods, it's raining outside and Mr. Banderas just HAD to turn on the AC!_ I thought as I rubbed my arms. Quite conveniently I left my jacket in the locker, since my A.P. Art teacher, Miss Frame, preferred her room to be a boiler.

Yes, teachers are idiots. Some are lovable, like Miss Frame, some are hardasses like Mr. Posito, some are disturbed like Mr. Whiteman, and some are just insane like Mr. Banderas but really they're all idiots. There they go ranting like they know how the world works but really they don't.

What makes me the expert? I'm the Princess of Heart here, okay? Me and my good buddy Riku have been dealing with life issues since we just got over middle school. We've gone to other worlds, had to fight, nearly lost our lives, tried to save the Universe from total ruin, and we're still waiting…still waiting for…Sora.

"…when you integrate you do not forget the _dx_, Tom Thumb!" Mr. Banderas was barking at the short junior up front. His real name's Thomas Thatch but we don't try to remind our Calculus teacher of that. He gets mad if we do. " Have you been reviewing your notes over the summer?"

" Uh…no, Mr. B," Thomas answered nervously, readjusting the huge glasses as they slid down his nose. The poor kid. " I…um…my mom…threw out all my notebooks-"

" Irresponsible, Tom Thumb!" Mr. B snapped. " When it comes to real life, _you_ deal with _your_ belongings! Are you gonna have Momma come clean up after you when you're fifty? I don't think so! Get your AB notes from another student, understand?"

" Y-yes, Mr. B…" Thomas stammered. In the back I heard some students snicker.

" Do I hear laughter?" Mr. B demanded. The class fell silent.

" Good. Now, I want to get over this reviewing. At the rate we're going I won't be able to teach you multi-variable Calculus when the second semester begins and-"

" Mr. B!" Riku's hand shot up. I glared at him. See, fact was, he sat next to me.

" What do you think you're doing?" I hissed.

" Asking a question," he smiled. " Isn't multi-variable Calculus supposed to be taught in college?"

Mr. B glowered at him. Was he looking at me, too? Oh shoot! I ducked my head behind the computer; every desk had a computer on it but it wasn't like they actually worked.

" Are you questioning me?"

" Uh…no sir?" Riku laughed nervously. Everyone was staring at our table. Oh I'm going to get Riku for this; he knows how much I hate attention!

" Good. Now shut up and let me lecture!"

" Sorry, Mr. B…" Riku mumbled, readjusting the sunglasses on his face.

" You ass!" I snapped, keeping my voice low. " What the hell was that for?"

" Hey, I don't plan on learning college math here," my good silver-haired friend replied good-naturedly. " If it weren't for you, I'd have one less period and would be going home early-"

" Look, taking classes like these will really help us when we get into a university." I had to remind him _again?_ What's wrong with him? " They don't like it if we slack off; we have to keep at it or else they'll throw out our applications."

" Hey, I don't have to worry about universities here," he muttered. " Remember, we know what's going on in this world. Whatever they teach us at those colleges have nothing to do with the Heartless-"

" You two _pájaros del amor_ at it again?" I suddenly heard Mr. B. And he didn't sound happy. " I know there's a slang term for this but I think that's enough said, eh?"

I felt my face burn as I peeked over the computer. He was giving me the _eye_! Oh shit…

Next to me Riku was smirking. There was a funny smile on his face and that didn't help me any more than Mr. B just did.

Groaning inward, I turned to my notebook to finish notes, hiding my little doodles from all eyes. So I did have a tendency to draw how Sora looked like the last time I saw him, with his dark punk look and weary smile. What else am I to do?

" Hey…" It was Riku.

" Riku, don't talk to me; I don't want Mr. B pointing us out again." I tried to ignore him, tried to keep myself from sketching Sora's eyes as I saw them two years ago. Those blue eyes burned in my memory; I _had_ to draw them.

" Let him talk all he wants." Someone's hand covered mine, retuning warmth to it. I looked up cautiously, saw Riku looking at me. What's going on? " We know more than he does, remember?"

He tightened his hand over mine, then pulled back to continue taking notes. I kept staring at him, though. I knew something was up but I just wasn't sure what.

_It's been three years, literally. I thought we got over this. Then why is he still at it? It's like…the past is coming back._

Was it?

''

" Hey, Naminé, you feeling better?" Riku greeted the pale blonde girl as we approached our designated meeting spot during lunch. Our friends always gather at this brick pillar near the Mr. Posito's building; we all hate our English Literature teacher but we all love him, too. He really is cool…when he wants to be.

She nodded shyly, still holding on to her sketchbook. I saw some of her drawings before. Whenever I do, I always feel this 'hole' in me; I guess its envy but you really can't compare with real talent, can you? " Yeah, the flu's almost gone now. At least this school doesn't offer Phys. Ed. for juniors and seniors."

" Yeah, when the flu gets to you, it's bound to screw you over, especially if you play sports," Wakka agreed, bouncing his blitzball. I learned some tricks with that blue and white ball but, truth be told, I just want to pop it with my lead pencil! " So…anything from the weatherman?"

" I hear it'll pour in the afternoon," Irvine grinned. He was winking at a little horde of freshman girls, all of whom were blushing and giggling with each other.

" Damn, Irvine, what's with you and the ladies?" Riku joked, shoving at our sharpshooter; his dad's in the military and our 'lady's man' had been handling rifles since he was old enough to walk. " Trying to steal my limelight, eh?"

" Oh no, no one can compare with 'Riku the Perfect'," he laughed. " I try but I can't get anywhere, unlike you. I mean, hell, if it weren't for Selphie, I wouldn't know any beautiful ladies like Kai and Naminé here!"

Oh gods, there they go again; men talking about me. Well, I've heard worse. Sometimes it makes me wonder just what it is they see in me. Then again, they probably don't see anything 'in' me; they're all airheads, as Selphie calls them.

" Well aren't I happy to play matchmaker?" Selphie remarked but I could hear the bitterness in her voice. Irvine moved here a year ago and Selphie's been…what's that term, infatuated? Well, maybe that's not the right way to say things; she doesn't exactly show it. Oh yeah, sure, so she's spunky and loud and as hyper as Yuffie the Mad Ninja, but when it comes to these…feelings, she's real quiet.

" Oh cheer up, Selphie," Naminé smiled. " You'll get your man sooner or later."

Naminé's a real mystery. She appeared a little before Riku, not looking quite so beat up but like him she didn't remember much. But she had met Sora; she told me everything she knew. When she told me how this…Organization forced her to try and replace me with her in Sora's memories, I-I didn't really know what to say. How could people be like that? How could they do such things, forcing witches to toy with people's memories?

But then she told me Sora resisted it. And that was the key to him, Donald, and Goofy escaping from Castle Oblivion, where she was imprisoned. Sora still remembered me, even when Naminé scattered his memories all over that evil castle.

What did this mean? Did he love me, too? Or was it just the connection we shared? On dark days I think of the worst and when the sun shines I wonder if he, too, never got to tell me he loved me.

Hands waved in my face. " Kairi? Are you at it again?"

" Huh-wha!" I jumped back, nearly knocking over Riku. " Selphie!"

" Hey, if you keep at this, you'll chase off all the girls. And where would I be?" Irvine joked. He seemed oblivious to the fact that Selphie was flushing. Not that the rest of us were _that_ blind.

" Hey, be nice Irvine," Lulu replied. Perhaps a little too coldly.

" Oh…sorry," he smiled nervously.

" Hey Kai," Riku said into my ear. " Get off my foot; I think you broke my toe."

" Oh gosh, I'm so sorry!" I stepped forward and turned around. " You sure I broke your toe?"

" Remember?" Selphie conked him on the head. " He likes to exaggerate just to get sympathy from all the ladies. That's why Irvine can't compare."

" Thanks for the tip," Irvine tipped his hat to her. Sometimes I wonder why no one in the school objects to his cowboy's hat; its against school rules to have a hat or hood on except when it rains – well, that's for hoods. Hats are banned. Must be his charm.

" Oh Selph, I was being sarcastic," I joked. " Of course I didn't break his toe! But…were you suggesting something?"

I glared at him, daring him to admit it.

" No, I'm not saying you're fat or anything-"

The poor guy; he's in for it. I know he is.

" Don't mess with women and weight, Riku," Tidus advised him. Tidus? What does he know about us? " Believe me; I've got the scar to prove it."

" What did Yuna do to you, man?" Wakka wondered.

" What did you say to her?" Selphie thought aloud at the same time.

" I made a similar joke," our blond friend said nervously. " She knocked me out good."

" Oh…_that_," Selphie giggled. " Yeah, she told me."

Silence.

" So…" Riku sauntered over to Naminé, who seemed to be sketching. " What are you up to?"

" Nothing that concerns you," she replied, hiding her sketchbook. She seemed too slow; I saw the look on Riku's face and it didn't look good.

If there was one thing Riku told me about her, it was that she had a tendency to draw things that really disturbed people.

" How'd you draw that?" he asked. I was the only other person to hear him; Irvine had started upon a tale about this one sophomore girl or something of the like and Selphie looked too furious for me to stick with her any longer. I drew near the two.

" Draw what?" I asked. I wanted to see.

" Oh, um…" I saw the look between Riku and Naminé.

" What? It's okay, I won't tell anybody else," I said, then decided to throw in a smile to tell them they could trust me. Didn't seem to work though.

" I…don't want anyone else to see it," Naminé admitted. " I was just too slow to hide it from…him."

She looked at Riku nervously. I knew why. After all, I was privy to 'talk'; I'm pretty famous for not spilling secrets. The girls _and_ the guys talk to me…except Riku. I wonder why…

" If you want to keep your secrets, its fine with me," Riku murmured to her. She turned red. Great, I was subject to a 'moment'. I turned around and picked up my bag. " Later, I forgot some stuff in my locker."

" Oh, uh…okay," Selphie said. " Later."

" Yeah, later," Wakka nodded before turning back to Irvine.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Riku watching me. I couldn't stand it and just…walked away.

I looked up at the sky as I headed for the building across from Mr. Posito's building.

Rain. Again. What does the world have against me?

''

The last class I really haven't been focusing. What was my last class again? I don't remember; I can't remember. Was today Thursday or Friday? What month was this anyways? I don't know. All I thought about was the past…whether or not it was coming back to me…

" _So, suppose you get to another world. What would you do there?" I asked, watching the sun set._

" _Well, I haven't really thought about it. It's just…I've always wondered why we're here on this island. If there are any other worlds out there, why did we end up on this one? And suppose there are other worlds…then ours is just a little piece of something much greater. So we could have just as easily ended up somewhere else, right?" There went Riku with his complicated talk. I wondered at where he found the time to wonder about such things._

" _I don't know," was Sora's reply. As always, he preferred to keep it simple. So like Sora._

" _Exactly. That's why we need to go out there and find out. Just sitting here won't change a thing. It's the same old stuff. So let's go."_

_That was Riku, always on the go. Sora? Well, he really did prefer to keep things simple but who could resist the wanderlust, the curiosity of what lay beyond the familiar sea? That's why I wanted to go, too. That's why we built the raft. That's why…_

"…we're like this now," I sighed, shifting my backpack. " All because of simple curiosity, we were so far apart for so long. And we're still scattered. We not together, we're not the old trio."

Times change. But I didn't want to believe it. I still didn't want to believe it.

" But…Sora," I looked up at the sky, wondering when the rain would come, " Sora…I'm still waiting. I'm still waiting Sora, for you to come back. When will you come back? I'm so alone…"

I lost his voice two years ago. Before that I could feel his steady presence, could hear his voice once in a while. I heard him saying, " Riku was here?" and knew that he was getting close to finding our long lost friend. But after that…things got weird. And after I last saw him fighting that pyromaniac, I didn't feel his presence anymore. It didn't feel like he died, it was like…

" Are you still lost in the Universe out there?" So what if I talked to myself? I've been like that for a long time now; people have grown used to it. " Donald and Goofy came back…but you're still not home. Where are you, Sora? I'm still alone…"

I felt a drop on my arm. Then another. And another.

The others had already gone home and here I was standing in front of school, mumbling to myself. See, I live alone; the Mayor left me the house he and his wife lived in before they moved away. Its okay, I can handle things by myself. I've been doing so for the last two years.

Of course it doesn't seem like it now. If I had started walking instead of just talking, I would've been nearly home right now.

It was raining harder. So what?

" Should I…just move on with life?" I asked the sky. It didn't answer me, though. " Can I let you go? Sora, can I just…go? Help me, Sora. Help me-"

I heard screeching. Then screaming.

" Oh my god!"

I turned, nearly sliding on the wet cement.

There was almost no one left at the school. No one would be taking a walk in this weather. No one would be driving with such slippery streets like these. So there was only two other people out here: one was searching for shelter before heading home and the other was the one in the car.

I stared; someone was lying in a grotesque position in front. The car had hit someone.

" Oh my god!" a man in a _very_ dressy suit leaped out of the – oh my gosh, is that a Porsche? – car and splashed to the front. The other person, the woman who was screaming, was busy trying to dial.

I ran forward and got ankle deep in the rainwater on the street. It was cold, very cold.

_Stupid rain, what's with the weather nowadays?_ I wondered as I helped the man – who was also cursing at his ruined suit – pull the stranger out of the street and onto the sidewalk.

" Oh God, I nearly ran him over," the man stammered as we knelt over him. Yes the stranger was him, some weirdo in a black trench coat. It looked familiar but I couldn't place my finger on it-

" Does anyone have a cell phone?" the woman demanded, dropping the paper bags she was carrying on the sidewalk and joining us. " Is there anybody else out here who can help us?"

" Sorry lady, my phone died seconds before I hit 'm," the man said apologetically.

" I left mine at home," I muttered. What luck!

" What do we do?" Gods, the woman was freaking! " Oh my god, what do we do? There's no one to help us and the hospital's five blocks away and nobody would be out in this bloody weather-"

" I can take him to my house," I heard myself offering. When the other two started to protest, I had to point at an urgent fact. " He's coming around."

The stranger sat up slowly, grimacing as he did so. He was extremely pale – probably from the impact – but didn't look all that bad. I couldn't see his eyes, though; light-colored bangs shrouded his face.

" Uh…what…?" His voice was grainy, laced with pain. Oh gods, I feel so sorry for him!

" Look, let's get you to my place and we can figure things out from there-" I offered immediately but he waved me away.

" No…no, I'm fine. I _think_ I'm fine…"

" No you're not," the man snapped back. " I just slammed you with my car; you shouldn't even be 'awake' right now. Girl, how far away do you live?"

" Three blocks."

" And you, lady?"

" I live downtown; was planning on taking the bus-"

" So do I. Look, we're in a pretty bad situation right now-" he looked around at the downpour; all of us were soaked "-and she's offering to take you to her house so go with her. Here, take this as payment for his treatment. I'm kind of late to this one meeting and so I ended up speeding…"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a leather wallet. Oh dear me, it's raining and he's got a leather wallet. The poor man.

" Same here. After all, it's only the four of us out here in this bloody weather." The woman reached into her fake Louis Vuitton purse and pulled out fifty bucks. So did the businessman – no, it was two fifty bucks!

" Oh no, I can handle it, please!" Oh my god, they're giving me a hundred-fifty not knowing the things I can do with that money! They must think I'm a real saint!

" We insist." They crammed the money in my wet hands. Great, wet money, too.

" Hey…" I looked down on the stranger. " Can you get up?"

" Well…if I tried…"

I lent him a hand and he staggered to his feet. Black boots and a black trench coat. I bet this guy's some Goth or something like that.

" Here…" I pulled his arm around my shoulder. " Use me as a support; we've a long way to go. If you need to rest, just tell me."

" I prefer we get to your place as soon as possible," was his grainy reply. " It's raining. The longer we stay here, the worse it's going to get for the both of us."

It seemed that a car was driving away in the distance. When I turned my head, the woman and her belongings were gone. It was just the two of us, a high school student and a stranger who had nearly been run over by a Porsche.

" Look, both of us are soaked already, okay? Can't get any wetter than this, can it?" I gestured to myself and then remembered something – I'm wearing a white blouse. And I'm soaking wet! Oh great…the things I do to myself.

" Well, I've had worse," he muttered but he sounded rather proud of it. That and he didn't seem perverted, at least enough to stare at me. " Believe me, lady, if you have been through what I've been through, you'd be agreeing…"

Two blocks…

" For the record, my name's Kairi," I offered. I looked around. It was still raining. And the streets were empty. It was like we were the only two people living in this world. " You?"

I didn't get an answer. " Hey, are you-"

" Oh gods…" He was rubbing his face. " Can we…can we just get to your house?"

He sounded weak, sounded so tired. Then again, he did get hit by a car. And the rain can really get to you…

One more block…

" C'mon, c'mon…" I was dragging him now. He could barely walk; he _thought_ he was fine but it turned out he wasn't. Men and their pride; sometimes it could really kill them.

But what am I saying? I knew some people who were like that…

" Oh good, we're here," I told him as I pulled him up the steps that led to the porch. Oh gods, the front yard was practically a swamp; it was raining that hard.

" Oh…"

He collapsed on my porch and I had the thankless task of dragging him in.

What does the world have against me?

**Author's Endnote**: I didn't like this. Might consider rewriting it in third person perspective. It's a lot harder doing first person but go figure, I haven't done it to this extent before…oh and Mr. Posito is a real teacher; he was my English Lit. teacher for 9th and 10th grade and he's planning on teaching 12th grade English, too. He's like stalking my class! And Mr. B is based on my Calculus teacher Mr. Rodriguez (we call him Mr. R). But I snitched his name from an actor; guess who!


	4. Not Belonging

**Author's Note**: Okay, so I got mixed results for the First POV…well, I don't know. I might fiddle with it again later; never wrote First POV except in poetry (like DUH) but anyways, omfg, thank you so much people! I had never gotten such an overwhelming response to this story like…THIS! Wowzers…

**The-3-Amigos**: Where's Sora? What a good question! Truth is…I DON'T KNOW MYSELF! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I'll get to that eventually, by the way.

**Sorasgirl333**: Yeah, I have to admit, first person perspective can be real easy to slip into; I kept writing 'I' instead of 'her'. VERY annoying. But yes, the poor dude getting hit by the car – a Porsche, I might add. My uncle has one…lucky him…if you think it's Sora, just keep thinking.

**AnimeGamer10**: Who is the hooded guy? Well, keep reading. You'll find out, sooner or later.

**Princess Kairi**: And you call yourself a princess! No, I was just joking, don't kill me! Well, this goes to show just how pure and kind Kairi is. The trench coat man is…and Naminé's drawing is a secret…until she reveals it. You'll see.

**MagicianCyborg**: Don't we all wonder who the cloaked person is? Keep reading and you'll see!

**Viktor Mayrin**: True, whatever floats my boat…which I have no idea about, XD

**NaruNaru.O.k**: Okay, here's the update!

**Maiakins**: You need some medicine to…er…keep your hyperness in check? Who is it? You'll see! You'll see! You'll see! And yes, I'm hurrying!

**Deludedfreak**: here's the next chapter and good luck tackling the BIG one…which isn't done yet, amazingly enough.

Wow, the response is like….OVERWHELMING! Damn, thanks people! Okay, okay, I'll shut up now…

Rain of Sorrow 

**Chapter 3: Not Belonging**

It was warm.

That was the first thing that came to mind, the first since rain began to fall. It was warm and dry and that meant he was safe. From what?

He swallowed, felt his throat scratching at the movement, and realized he was thirsty. His mouth felt dry; he needed something to drink.

He opened his eyes slowly, waited for the blurry world to come into focus. He found himself staring at a stark white ceiling, with the paint cracking and chipping in places. Out of the corner of his eye he could see a large window. It was still raining. Rain seemed intent on flooding this strange city he had come to.

" You're awake."

That voice, who was that? It sounded familiar.

" You could say that," he croaked, then coughed. " Do you have water?"

" Just hold on a second." He heard someone stand and a door creaking open and close. Footsteps drifted away.

Slowly he pushed himself up on his right arm, wincing as pain stung at his side. A bed, he was lying on a queen-sized bed of all things. Someone had taken the time to pull a white blanket over him and he pushed it away as he slowly sat up. Slowly he pulled his legs into a cross-legged position and studied the room he was in.

On the opposite wall of the window was a plain dark walnut dresser with a dirty mirror. On the wall adjacent was an old lamp and what he guessed to be a walk-in closet. Next to the bed was a small glass-topped coffee table with a wiry chair next to it. His trench coat was slung over it and his boots stood at attention on the floor next to the chair.

The walls were white, also chipped and cracked in places. This room was strictly Spartan; there were no trinkets crammed on the dusty shelves on the wall in front of the bed; no clock sitting on the coffee table; no accessories strewn all over the dresser. It seemed he was the first inhabitant in this room for fifteen-plus years.

He slowly pulled himself to the edge of the bed and set his feet on the musty carpet. He looked at himself, seeing that he seemed fine externally; the question remained as to how he was internally. Well, that didn't matter, he knew how to fix that.

" Cura," he whispered in that godawful voice and he instantly glowed green.

The light had barely faded away when someone came into the room.

" Oh! Well…you look okay. Here."

A plastic cup came into view. He took it – snatched it really – and downed it all in one shot. The coolness washed over his throat, taking away with it the grittiness that came with dehydration.

" Thanks," he muttered as he set the cup on the coffee table and looked up.

Violet-blue eyes studied him. She was of medium height, slender, but was apparently strong enough to drag him to her house. Her hair was auburn red and long; bangs shrouded her right eye. She was wearing a white sweater over lavender sweats.

She was smiling. " Well, you do look okay. How are you feeling?"

These questions were bothering him. Why did she care? Hell, why'd she even offer to take him to her house; isn't he a complete stranger to her?

" Not bad," he managed. Concise and to the point. That was his motto. " How long was I out?"

" Well, it's four now…in the morning, I mean," she said, pulling up the sleeve on her left arm to look at her watch. " You were gone more than twelve hours. Not bad for a man who got hit by a Porsche and had a fever-"

" People and Porsches." He had to roll his eyes. " Well…that doesn't sound too bad-"

" Doesn't sound too bad?" she stared at him funny. " Most people are totally out and at a hospital when they're run over by cars and get all feverish; all you did was ask for water and then sit up like nothing happened!"

She drew near and studied him up close. " You're not from around here, are you?"

He blinked. How-what!

" Relax. I'm not from here, either." She didn't back off but simply sat on the bed next to him. " I came here about nine years ago and I still don't know where I came from."

" Wait." She wasn't from this world? " You know what's out there?"

" Oh yes, I most certainly do," she was nodding. There was something sad in her voice, though; he could sense it. " I know there are other worlds out there, other people, _Heartless_…"

He was silent. " So…you're not alone in this, are you?"

He thought she seemed strange and now that she added in her knowledge of the feared enemy, he knew it. " You know what's been going on for the last four years, right?"

" Heartless came four years ago. They took me away," she whispered; she didn't seem to be in this room anymore, mentally speaking. " I was in the cold for such a long time…and then my friend saved me. He gave me back my heart, closed Kingdom Hearts…I've only seen him once since then-"

No…it couldn't be! " Your friend, did he carry around a key?"

She looked up, on the alert. " Yes! He's known as the Keyblade Master! Do you know him? His name's Sora, he-"

She stopped suddenly, stared at him funny again. The room grew warm.

" What?" he asked, annoyed.

" He looks just like you."

First reaction? He rolled his eyes. " Right…"

" No really!" she sounded excited, leaned over as she studied him closely. " Well, maybe the hair…and that frown…but those eyes…they're his-"

" Look, lady," he snapped, backing away. " I'm not Sora! I _am_ looking for him, though-"

" You are?" she asked, looking downcast. She then sighed. " No one's seen him. Everyone who would've been with him…they don't remember. Donald, Goofy, King Mickey, Riku…"

" Riku? Him?"

" You know him?" she was staring at him yet again. Damn those eyes…

" Well, who doesn't? He was a spy in the Organization and helped Sora and the King bust them…but everything went wrong from there. That's what I heard at least," he mumbled, shrugging. " I don't know; that's all I heard."

" Oh…" was her very small reply. " Where are you from?"

Personal question. Oh how he hated these kinds of questions. " I don't know. I woke up in the middle of a city a year ago. Nobody knew who I was or how I got there. Random people helped me along until I managed to strike out on my own. Next thing I knew Heartless and some of those hooded people started following me around. I killed one of those people and took his coat."

" Really?" she asked, sounding more grossed out than intrigued. " But why are the Heartless after you?"

" I don't know," he answered with all due honesty. Then again, he really didn't know. " Everything that happened after was with this man named Cid, some baldy with a weird accent. Told me everything about the Heartless, the King, some man named Ansem, and some war that's been raging for four years now. A while later, he told me that maybe I should go look for Sora. Thought I could find my answers looking for him."

" Why would he say that?" the girl sounded intrigued now. It seemed to him that she was interested with anything that dealt with that mysterious Keyblade Master.

" I don't know, really," he shrugged. " But I had nothing better to do so I went out looking for him. I found my way here…then got run over by a _Porsche_. Now I see I'm meeting people who know this 'Sora'."

" Yes, there are people here who know him," the girl whispered. " After all, he came from this place, Destiny Islands."

She smiled at him; he shifted uncomfortably, waiting for her to continue. " All his childhood friends are here…but some people are gone now. His mother, for one; she couldn't live any longer without her son and gave up six months ago. Took one of our rowboats one stormy night; we haven't seen her since."

He nodded, felt nothing for this woman. So she was filled with grief for her missing son, went out and killed herself; well shit happened and he damn well knew it. This was nothing to him.

" You don't feel anything, do you?" The question came flying out of the blue, catching him off-guard. " I can tell. I can always tell with people. But I just don't know about Riku…"

She sighed and stood up. " Sorry about that. I guess it just happens when you've been waiting for someone to come home for…a long time."

" Things happen when you don't know who you are, either," he muttered under his breath, hoping she didn't hear it.

" By the way, just to remind you in case you didn't hear me, my name's Kairi." The smile had returned to her face yet again. " What's yours? You didn't tell me."

" You never asked."

" Sorry but shouldn't you say your name first?"

" I thought there were no rules to this sort of introduction."

" Well, I always thought grateful strangers introduced-"

" It's not that I'm not grateful but I think this is a very pointless argument-alright, my name's Tetsu. That's what people called me. It was the name I called myself, really."

He sighed, stared at his fingers, listened to the rain.

" Well…" she drew near again. " If you need help, just call my name. Okay?"

Her hand rested lightly on his shoulder, then she pulled away. The door creaked shut; he was alone.

" Kairi…that's a nice name," he thought as he slowly stood up. He winced as he heard his knee crack, then hobbled over to the mirror to take a look at himself.

Despite the stains he could see a pale, gaunt face staring back at him, with fiery blue eyes and brown hair burned by the sun. He ran a hand through his hair, groused over it's unkempt and very shaggy look, then staggered back to the bed.

Picking at his black shirt, Tetsu grimaced at his present condition. What he would give for a shower and some fresh clothing…

Pulling the blanket over his head, he decided to try and sleep and escape those violet-blue eyes staring at him.

''

She sat on the couch downstairs, toying with her hair. It was seven now, on a Saturday morning, but she could care less. More important things were on her mind.

That man, Tetsu, he didn't come from this part of the world. He came from another place, where Heartless still roamed. He didn't remember where he came from or who he was…and he had to deal with the hooded people, the ones Riku and Naminé could both describe perfectly. The Organization.

And not only that, he looked like Sora.

" But not really," she murmured, making herself smaller as she huddled up against the cushions. It was cold but she didn't bother to turn on the heater. " He's too pale, too thin, and so…emotionless. That's not Sora; Sora's never like that."

But still, despite all that he did look familiar…and his eyes, those blazing blue eyes, they were his. That she was sure of.

" And his hair." She had to smile at this. " Probably bed-hair but that makes him look more like…Sora."

But who knows how Sora looks like now; two years can change a person's appearance a lot. As well as outlook on the wider world.

" He doesn't remember anything," she murmured, remembering that fact. " He woke up in the middle of a world not knowing who he was. What is it like, waking up to strangers around you, not knowing your own name…"

_At least I knew mine…when Sora found me that day nine years ago…_

Sleep refused to come, forcing Kairi to get up and attempt to make breakfast. She stood up and turned, only to bump into someone.

" Gah! How'd you get here?" she demanded, looking up into Tetsu's face. " Shouldn't you be in bed?"

" I feel fine and I feel hungry," he shrugged. He seemed to have forgotten that he was practically run over by a car. " You got food?"

She shoved him aside, mumbled, " Yes", and strode for the kitchen, moving quickly to hide the subtle smile on her face. Men and food…so like Sora-

There was a lump in her throat as she came to a sudden stop in the middle of the surprisingly clean kitchen. " Sora…"

Shaking her head, she headed for the fridge. " Wait…how'd the guy get down here without making a sound? The stairs creak, for all I know…"

Scowling at this mysterious fact, she hunted out eggs and some cheese. Omelets were on her mind.

''

" How old are you?" Kairi asked, watching Tetsu attack the cheese omelet like his very life depended on it. She poked at her own breakfast, suddenly not hungry.

" If I knew I'd tell you but I'm guessing around your age. Maybe older, I don't know," he muttered. " Definitely not younger."

" You don't look it," she agreed, taking a bit and congratulating herself at making a decent breakfast. She stopped inviting people over months ago for breakfast, given her terrible talent at cooking, and had resorted to cereal. Not this time, though. " Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen…"

Tetsu didn't answer; he was finishing the omelet with gusto. Kairi smiled. Maybe she wasn't that bad at cooking…

" What are you smiling at?" he asked as he dropped his fork on the plate.

" What? Oh no, I was just glad that, uh, you enjoyed breakfast," she answered hastily, gesturing to his plate. " I normally have cereal because I have such bad luck with cooking…I hope you don't get sick-"

Tetsu looked at her funny. " You hope I don't get _sick_? That's nice to know; I'll keep that in mind when I make the trip to the bathroom…wherever that is."

He looked around the kitchen, then saw the almost-whole omelet sitting on her plate. " Can I have that?"

" Bottomless stomach here, is it?" she asked, pushing her plate to him. " I'm gonna go take a shower. Don't wreck the house; I don't think house guests are supposed to do that."

" Relax, lady, I have my manners," Tetsu grumbled. " Cid taught me. Well, he wasn't the best at it…"

Kairi froze for a second just outside the kitchen. Smiling again, she headed for the stairs, wondering where life was taking her.

''

" It's almost 3:45 and she's _still_ not here," Auron grumbled while eyeing the others. They shrugged, not knowing as much as he did. " Kairi's normally not _this_ late-"

" Well, can we start?" Yuna asked hopefully. " I want to try out some spells I learned at my school-"

" You want to start?" Tidus repeated, disbelieving every word of it. " How is it that you want to go and get your ass kicked for the next three hours-"

" If you don't practice, you can't fight the Heartless," Yuna smiled.

" Man, you sound like Auron," Wakka groaned, scratching his head.

" Meaning I taught her well," the man replied, tapping the redhead on the head. " Riku, Selphie, did any of you see her earlier today?"

They looked at each other and shrugged.

" Normally she'd be wandering down the beach," Selphie thought for a minute while slapping at the floor with her nunchucks, " but I didn't see her today."

Riku nodded silently; he had been to the beach earlier in the day to look for her but she wasn't there. Maybe he should've gone and checked up on her house, see if she was okay-

" Sorry, sorry!" Kairi exclaimed, staggering in and closing her umbrella. Behind her was Irvine, whose hat was dumping rainwater like the Niagara. Auron frowned at this. " Irvine, get a mop."

" Yessir…" he muttered but managed a wink at the others before heading to the storeroom.

" Well?" Auron demanded while Kairi stowed her umbrella in a corner and shed her jacket.

" I was, ah…tied up in some situation at home," she smiled nervously. " Was practicing summoning the staff…knocked out some stuff. You know, major chaos."

" Riiight…have you done it?"

" Well, basically," Kairi muttered, frowning a bit. Truth was, it was the easiest thing she had ever done; she mastered it the day Auron assigned it to her. " Here…"

She imagined the staff, its smooth hard wood in her hand, and was promptly rewarded with its light weight in her grip.

" Whoa, there!" Wakka exclaimed. " That's serious stuff! I wish I could do that-"

" I told you to practice a month ago," Auron reminded him while eyeing Irvine return to join the others. Yuna and Lulu had already gone to the spell casting room and already seemed busy. " Same with the rest of you lot…besides Riku and Selphie. Okay, Irvine, you're going to come with me because we're going to do some serious stuff. For the rest of you…we're going to practice a 1vs.4 move. I want Riku against Kairi, Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka. Deal? Here, Irvine…we're going to sharpen your sniper skills-"

" It's sharp shooting…sir," Irvine muttered as he pulled out Ulysses from a closet near a staircase. He then followed Auron upstairs while everyone else eyed each other. Well, most eyed Riku; they had an idea as to what was coming at them.

" Ready?" Riku smirked, backing up on the blue platform in order to give the others room. The Soul Eater flashed into his hand.

" Aw man…" Tidus swore, concentrating with all his might to summon his water-like sword from the weapons closet. There was some success; the sword punched a hole through the closet and slid to his feet.

" Oh am I out to get you," Wakka grinned, bouncing the blitzball.

" You never get him," Selphie muttered. " You're the first one he knocks out."

" You just had to say that?" Wakka scowled.

" I had to remind you to keep your ego in check," she shot back. " I mean, if I didn't do_ something_, your ego would be this high-" she pointed to the ceiling "-and imagine what would happen if you got beat?"

Kairi giggled as Wakka muttered something under his breath. She then stepped back, giving her staff an expert spin. The steel caps on each end gave it a metallic sheen.

" If that's how you're gonna go at it, you'll kill me," Riku smirked, sticking out his Soul Eater and stopping the staff. Luckily, Kairi had a firm grip and it didn't go flying like it would've. " C'mon Kairi, show me what you've got."

Challenge. She loved challenges. Ever since Sora and Riku left her, she challenged herself physically and mentally; the next time the Heartless came, she had promised to herself three years ago, she'll be ready to meet them head-on. No more damsel-in-distress for her, that's for-

" Ow!" Riku had poked her on the arm with the Soul Eater. " Riku!"

" You're too slow, Kai," he grinned, taunting her as he sauntered off to provoke the others.

" Not really," she smirked. She jerked her staff forward and tripped him.

The next thing she knew, the Soul Eater was coming at her. Reflexes kicking in, she blocked the blow, twisted her staff, then jerked it backwards, hoping to hit him – but not to kill him, of course.

Sparks flew as the steel cap smashed into the Soul Eater; she jumped forward and spun, the staff clashing with the dark sword. Grimacing, she pushed it to the side, then turned the staff to meet the sword from the other side.

Briefly she looked at Riku's face. He seemed shocked; it didn't look like he expected such a response from her.

_Good. He needs to be shocked. And for that to happen…_ she stepped up the pace, forcing him to respond even faster.

The others watched, not quite sure of what it was they were seeing. Was it just them or did Kairi lose her mind?

" Damn, didn't know the girl had it in her, ya?" Wakka hissed to Tidus and Selphie.

" You think we should jump in?" Tidus asked nervously; after all, that was Auron's order.

" Nah," the brunette next to him shook her head. " Breaks the rhythm. They're going good."

Silently they watched as the two duelists moved back and forth in perfect tempo, sparks flying whenever the Soul Eater and a steel cap on the staff clashed.

Thirty minutes…

One hour…

One hour thirty minutes…

Two hours-

The pace was slower now but Kairi was still going at it like her very life depended on it. She wasn't crazy, as she had heard Wakka say thirty minutes ago; she just wanted to see just how good she was with the staff. And apparently, she was holding up quite well-

Her eyes darted to the window on the door as she blocked a blow that would've taken off her left arm. They widened; cat-like green eyes were staring at her-

" Look out!"

Something slammed into the side of her head. Fireworks sparked in her eyes and she felt herself falling, the staff sliding out of her hands. Darkness, so much darkness…

_The sea was purple. The ground was cracked, broken; the heart of the island was all blasted out. Black fog covered the crater._

_Kairi shivered; this was not the Destiny Islands she grew up knowing. What happened here?_

_Wandering around, dodging the crevices, she looked for any signs of life. But there were none; she was all alone._

"…_I don't belong…"_

_Who's voice was that? Sora's? Tetsu's?_

" _I don't belong here, do I?"_

" _Nah, kid, you don't." An older man's voice, with a heavy accent. " You never belonged here. Sorry about it."_

" _Its…its okay…"_

_The voices seemed to echo from across the sea._

"…_still searching?"_

" _Yeah…I can't find anything, though. I just can't remember anything."_

" _Hm…well I have a good idea."_

" _What's that?"_

" _Remember the type of weapons you carry? The ones you used to fight the Heartless…and those unknown people?"_

" _Yes. What about them?"_

" _I have heard…of someone who uses them, too."_

" _Have you now?"_

" _I'm not lying, boy! I did indeed hear of someone who uses those weapons to fight the Heartless and Nobodies."_

" _And what's your point, Pops?"_

" _Don't call me that, boy. Anyhow, I think you should go looking for him; I'm thinking that if you two use similar weapons, you could figure things out between yourselves. Including where you came from."_

" _That's very nice but that doesn't make sense."_

" _I think it should; there are, for the record, only three people using those weapons. So there you go; find any one of them and you'll get your facts straight for you. And for the record, look for a guy named Sora. Supposed to be one of those people wielding a damn fangled key thing-"_

_Kairi gasped. Sora? News of Sora? _

" _Sora?"_

" _Well, the problem is, no one's seen him for the last two years."_

_Oh…_

" _You want me to go and look for a guy no one's seen for just _how_ long so that I can figure out my past? What about the other two?"_

_Silence._

" _Great. They haven't been seen, either? Pops, you're killing me."_

" _Kid, he's the only one I know. And don't call me Pops."_

" _Okay, Pops. Well, thanks for the idea. I'll go look for him now, shall I?"_

" _I told you…"_

_The voices faded, leaving Kairi to continue staring out at the purple sea. They didn't know anything about Sora, either._

" _Tied to the darkness…soon to be eclipsed…"_

_Shivers ran up her back as Kairi slowly turned around. She knew that voice, knew who spoke._

_A brown-hooded figure floated behind her. She could see nothing beneath the shadowed cowl._

" _You think you know so much…understand so little…"_

" _Wh-what do you want?" she demanded, putting iron in her shaky voice. " What do you want with me?"_

" _They are coming…all will fall…Paradise…"_

_Paradise?_

" _The eyes will close…"_

_The island was fading. She could still see him, see Ansem hovering like that, still mumbling to himself._

"…_Kairi…"_

" _What?" she snapped. How dare he utter her name!_

" …_Kairi!"_

" _Kairi!"_

" Kairi!"

" What!" she yelled, sitting up and smacking someone with her head. " Ow…"

" Damn, Kairi, what's with you, today?" Selphie asked. She had knelt by Kairi's head but she wasn't the one in the line of fire.

" I think I broke my nose…" was Riku's muffled reply. A drop of blood hit her right arm.

" Oh my gosh, Riku, I'm so sorry!" Kairi turned to him and held a hand to his face. " Heal."

There was a green glow and he removed his hand from his nose. " No, its alright. But are you okay? I mean, I was the one who smacked you in the head with the Soul Eater."

" What are you talking about?" Kairi asked, totally confused. Then it came back to her. " Oh…"

" Hey man, I think you got her too hard, ya?" Wakka joked; he, Tidus, Yuna, and Lulu were at her feet, watching her with a mixture of worry and relief. " She couldn't even remember what she was doing five minutes ago!"

" You are alright, right?" Yuna asked tentatively; she and Lulu had heard a commotion while they were busy healing themselves and had to see what was going on in the next room.

" Alright, you lot, what's going on here?" Auron demanded as he and Irvine, who looked utterly exhausted, came downstairs. " You three, you look like you've done nothing."

He was pointing at Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie, all who had the 'Oh _shit_' look on their faces.

" And Kairi, what happened here?"

" Uh…"

Riku answered. " I…got on her nerves, Auron, and we were fighting for…a few hours. I smacked her on the head and knocked her out, though-"

" Someone got on Kairi's nerves?" Auron gave the redhead a skeptical eye. " Never heard anyone use that term before…"

" I'm alright, really…" she smiled weakly, staggering to her feet. " Ow…"

As soon as she stood up, she felt a dull pounding on the side of her head. " Yeah…I think I'm alright…"

" Kairi, go home. You, too, Riku. Same with Yuna, Lulu, and Irvine. Tidus, Selphie, and Wakka; you three stay. I need to get work into you lot…"

" What! Oh man…I _knew_ we should've interrupted their fight…" Wakka groaned while the others who were dismissed for the day went about finding their coats and umbrellas and dismissing their weapons.

Kairi winced as she pulled on her jacket; she had never felt so sore before. _Shouldn't do that again, ow…next time, I'm not going to go full out for more than an hour_-

" Need help?" Hands helped her pull the jacket on successfully.

" Oh yeah, thanks Riku," she said gratefully. Remembering the staff was still here, she bent down – slowly – and put a hand over it. Concentrating, it vanished, hopefully back to her house. Then she slowly got back up and reached for the umbrella.

" Hey, no need to open that up. I'll walk you home," Riku smiled, taking the umbrella and giving it to her. He gestured to his own. " I owe you at least that much after whacking you on the head with my Soul Eater."

" Thanks, Riku," she said; she doubt she could hold up her umbrella, let alone open it up. " Gods, I hate this weather…"

She saw him frown. " What?"

" Oh, nothing…" he muttered as he opened the door for her and opened up his umbrella. They began to walk down the street in the opposite direction of the others, who really looked like a huge mass of enchanted umbrellas hovering along the sidewalk.

" Oh…"

Silence. Rain pattered on the umbrella, sliding over and out in miniature waterfalls. Rainwater was bursting over the sidewalks and the dark streets were flooded. She saw one or two people hurry by, huddled in coats under umbrellas. Few cars were roaming around in this miserable weather; nearly all the streets were closed, save the gas station and several grocery stores.

" Watch your step," she heard him warn and barely avoided landing ankle-deep in water. The things that happen when you try to cross a street.

" Thanks."

" No problem."

Silence. The rain continued to fall. Kairi wondered at the clouded sky. Why was the sky like this, so heavy and full of rain? In all her years on Destiny Islands, she had never faced weather as bad as this. Destiny Islands had never been so wet and so…cold.

" You okay?"

The question was just as haze as she dove deeper into her mind. She always found solace in her memories and thoughts; when the going got too rough, she pulled up barriers around her, and lately she's been doing that.

_Sora, have you ever seen rain like this? It rains day and night every day. I don't know why it's like this; it's like the sky's crying. But why? Sometimes I think the sky's crying because of the hole in my heart. Must be a selfish way of putting things; putting my own thoughts before anyone else's but all I can think about is you, where you are, why you're so far away, when we'll meet again. I feel so sad, Sora, so sad and so tired. Whenever I imagine you, my heart grows heavy and I feel like I can't live any longer. Should I just…let you go, like your mother did? Or should I keep hoping_-

" Kairi?" That nagging voice in the back of her mind became clear. It was Riku talking and he sounded worried. " Kairi, are you okay?"

She blinked, realized they reached her house. " Oh! Yes, yes, I'm fine, I'm fine…"

She sighed, stared at the raindrops as they fell on the sidewalk. " I think I'm fine…"

" It's Sora, isn't it?" he asked quietly.

She nodded. " I just wish…he was here, to see the rain."

" Hey…" Fingers lightly touched her cheek and turned her head. She blinked in surprise; Riku was watching her, worried, concerned for her. " It's okay, he'll come back. He has to; he promised, didn't he?"

She smiled at this. Didn't he? Sora did promise to come back…twice. The first time he fulfilled it but the second time…

" He never breaks his promise, Kairi. Remember that."

She looked at her silver-haired friend. " Thanks, Riku."

" No problem. The things I have to do for a best friend, right?" he smiled and pulled her into a one-armed hug. He held her tightly before letting her go. " I'll see you around. Later."

" Later," she called back as she left the safety of his umbrella and ran up the stairs. Her muscles were screaming in protest at this further abuse of her muscles but her mind was retorting that she was getting wet.

Reaching the porch, she looked behind her, saw Riku wave to her one more time before walking down the street to where he lived with his mother. Kairi shuddered suddenly, remembering his embrace.

_Something's going on with him…but what?_

Fumbling with the keys she pulled out of her pocket, she found the right one and opened the door. Shutting and locking it behind her, she hung up her umbrella and coat on the rack next to the door and kicked off her shoes. She grimaced as she stepped on the varnished hardwood; the ends of her jeans were squishing out water under her bare feet.

_Time for a change_, she thought as she headed for the stairs and picked at her purple shirt. It was still blotchy with sweat. _Wait a minute, where's Tetsu?_

" Tetsu?" she called out tentatively. The first floor was empty, for sure. Maybe he was in his room. " Tetsu? Hello?"

She pulled herself up the stairs, a pain-filled frown crossing her face as she willed a foot forward, then the other. After an arduous trek to the top, she sat down, wincing. Maybe she had gone way too far when sparring with Riku; she wondered whether or not he felt the same way, too.

" Tetsu?" she called out. What the heck happened to the guy? Slowly she pushed herself up and staggered towards the empty guestroom where she had dragged him. " Tetsu, where are you-"

The world suddenly swayed. She leaned against the wall, trying to clear her mind. What was that? She blinked several times and the world came back into focus.

Black boots entered her periphery. She grimaced at this; she did not like people walking around her house with their shoes on. She opened her mouth-

" I'm right here."

She blinked, closing her mouth and looking up. Tetsu was watching her with an amused look on his face. " You were calling me?"

" I was just wondering what you were up to," she muttered. " Which reminds me, what were you up to?"

" Well…" he looked off in the distance. She could tell he had a very bored expression on his face. " I tried to get that black-and-silver box to do something but I think I broke something. It was going all fuzzy and went all gray and white so I, um…smashed it-"

" You broke the television?" Kairi all but yelled. Great, just great; she told him not to break anything and what does he do? Break the T.V.!

" Is that what it's called?" Tetsu looked bemused. Just like Sora… " Funny, I think I've heard of it before…what's a television anyways?"

She gaped at him. " You don't know? You watch stuff on it! News, dramas, advertisements, silly cartoons…"

She drifted off, realizing he was getting more and more confused. " Never mind…"

" Anyways, I decided to look around the house – no, I did NOT break anything else but I noticed a lot of photographs. You, some silver-haired kid, and that dude with crazy hair. Who were those two boys, anyways?"

She stung at his ignorant remarks. But he didn't know; she might as well tell him.

Her dream came to mind. _"Sora?"_

" Hello? You're phasing out on me, lady; do you do this often-"

" My name's Kairi. And the photographs…the silver-haired kid is Riku and 'that dude with crazy hair' is Sora."

Tetsu blinked. " Sora? That kid is Sora? He's the guy I have to look for-"

" Yes, I know," she interrupted. " But you know…"

She studied his features, mulling over some thoughts, though her eyes kept getting pulled back into his very confused but very brilliant blue eyes.

" Know what?" he asked quietly. He was shifting on his feet, obviously very uncomfortable by her staring.

" You…look like him."

" Yes, you told me that already. But I highly doubt I'm him. Who'd ever imagine Sora looking for Sora not realizing he _is_ Sora!"

" But it is possible," she added, starting to feel a bit of that hope again.

" No, it's not!" he snapped, suddenly angry. " Look, lady, I'm not this 'Sora', okay? I'm just some stranger who doesn't belong wherever he goes, looking for some idiot no one's seen for two years-"

" He's not an idiot," Kairi retorted angrily. " Don't you dare call him-"

" Well I'm sorry but I don't know who he is," Tetsu miffed, the anger wiping away. Now he looked emotionless, just as before. " What happened to you?"

He eyed her critically, saw that she relied heavily on the wall to stand.

" What do you care?" she snapped, suddenly not wanting to talk to him. " I just got back from practice, that's all-"

The hallway swayed again and she staggered into the darkly dressed stranger. Arms wrapped around her and helped her stand.

" Well, whatever you were doing you're in no condition to keep standing," she heard him murmur into her ear. She flushed slightly but lowered her head to shroud it all in her red hair as he helped her to the closest bed there was – the one in the guestroom.

" Relax, I won't wreck the rest of your house," was the last thing she heard before she hit the bed.


	5. Wondering

**Author's Note: **Well, this is one story that won't follow any pre-programming like some of my other stories. And, um…well, I'm glad for the nice responses I get. Heh…um, what was I going to say…oh yes, Princess Kairi, I tired to e-mail you to say something about your review but your e-mail address doesn't seem to be working…so I forgot what I was going to say to you. But anyways, I got a little ahead of myself (as usual) and I really, really hope I can get through all these rather 'slow' chapters. So saying, I'm not hinting on anything _yet_.

**Duelwielder**: Yes, I'll keep writing. I'm hooked on this story, right now, which makes it bad for the rest of my stories, o.0

**Sorasgirl333**: Yes, Kairi's brought up a very good point; too bad Tetsu has nothing to counter that! And, sadly for him, other people will bringing up that point. The poor fellow.

**thesrazrbladekisses**: I don't know if it's a cliffy! Don't kill me! Here, I'll give you the update!

**AnimeGamer10**: Here's more on the Tetsu guy. Problem is, I'm still in the 'creating the character' stage; this guy's a real baffler so don't trust anything you read in this chapter. All might change.

**Princess Kairi**: I was only explaining how the real Kairi wouldn't go run off with the 150 dollars given to her but I guess that's…how is that a warning? I don't get it. And no you're not retarded; I don't know what Tetsu is. He's either BHK, Sora, or neither. I have to figure things out and I'll leave the rest of you readers guessing, har har har.

**Angel-Hunteress**: Thanks for the compliment. I love compliments; they make you feel good. And here's the update. Does Sora have a twin? Well…

**Rain of Sorrow**

**Chapter 4: Wondering**

Riku sighed as he found himself falling asleep over the Shakespeare book, again. Dammit, why was Mr. Posito so evil?

He looked over to Naminé, who was busy doodling on the paper she was supposed to be writing her essay on. She had already finished reading the portion of _Much Ado About Nothing_ they'd been assigned to read but she hadn't gotten around to actually writing things yet.

" What are you drawing?" he asked. He had to do something, anything besides reading this stupid play.

She looked up, her pale blue eyes nervous. Covering her doodles, she gave him a nervous smile and said, " Nothing. Nothing really, um…just stuff. The usual."

" Um…right," he said, not believing her for a moment. " Shouldn't you be writing the essay?"

" Shouldn't you be reading?" she smiled sweetly before erasing her drawings.

" Will you two just shut it?" Wakka yawned as he flipped the page he was reading. " This _is_ a library, you know."

He gestured to the murmuring and soft sounds that came with all libraries; then again, there were louder talks from other tables. Most, if not all of the seniors in the Fate Memorial High School in the Humanities program were in the Alba Library right now, trying to finish Mr. Posito's and Mr. Whiteman's homeworks quickly.

" What's that?" Tidus demanded, his head up and looking lively. He then looked down on the page he was reading and noted the drool. " Eww…"

" If you didn't fall asleep, that wouldn't be happening," Selphie retorted, biting the end of her lead pencil as she considered her response to the essay question. She had half of a page down but was clearly stuck on something. " Shoot, what am I to say about Don Pedro…"

" Here," Irvine leaned over and pointed out a piece of dialogue. " Says it all right there."

" Thanks," she muttered, looking slightly pink as she started writing again.

Riku looked out the great glass panes of the library, at the miserable downpour that had not let up since Tuesday. Where was Kairi? he wondered. She would be here, too, but she wasn't. Then again, she _had_ been acting strange lately-

" Wandering again," he heard Naminé's voice as what seemed to be her pencil tapped him on the head. " I wonder why you get B's in Posito's class."

" Sorry about that," he muttered, turning back to the text and preparing himself to be bored. But he couldn't stop thinking about _her_, the sad smile on her face, the longing in her blue-violet eyes. She had been holding up rather well but he knew sooner or later she was going to break. And then what?

_I'll be there…but will she notice? She never does…it was Sora, always Sora…_

Blue eyes light with ice watched him but there was no coldness behind them. It was the blond witch, Naminé.

" You okay?"

" Yes-"

" No, you're not okay," she murmured, still watching him. The others had started talking about other things; it sounded like something about Yuna and Lulu, both of who weren't here. " I can tell; you have that look in your eyes. You're worrying about her, aren't you?"

" Am I-"

" Why not, you are her only best friend now. It was always the three of you, Sora, Kairi, and you. But Sora's gone and nobody knows where he is. You're the only one left. But she doesn't know that, does she?"

It took all his willpower to keep his jaws from dropping with shock. How did Naminé know?

" I'm very observant, Riku," she replied, covering her paper with her sketchbook. She flipped several pages, then came across a blank slate and started to sketch some lines. " I see what you think I don't see. That goes for others. I see but I don't say; I sketch but I don't show. I know but I keep it within. I'm a witch and I have done things in the past. Things that you should know, Riku."

He nodded dumbly. " What's your point?"

" You can't…force her," she was sad now, sighing as she continued to draw. " She still loves him; she'll only feel so much for you. She only sees you as a support; oh she cares for you but not to that extent. It's only a matter of time before we see just how far she'll go thinking about him before she realizes that maybe its _her_ who should take the initiative."

" What are you talking about?" Riku demanded, knowing full well what she's trying to suggest. " You want us to leave Destiny Islands?"

" No one's seen Sora for two years. Don't' you think its time people like her should go and look for him? She's waited long enough; we just need a trigger for her to start looking for him-"

" This is Kairi we're talking about. She's a Princess of Heart; wherever she goes, the Heartless follow! No, she's not going anywhere-"

" What about you?"

The question froze him. It echoed in his mind, an arrow into his heart, taunting him. Yes, why not go look for him? Then he'd really be a hero; he'd redeem himself and be the kind of savior Kairi's been waiting for-

" I-I don't know." He slumped in his seat. " You know me, Naminé; I'm not cut out for hero work. I'm simply a kid who got on the wrong side and ended up…causing chaos. I can't do that-"

" You _are_ a Keyblade Wielder, are you not?" Naminé asked evenly, her voice hard-edged. This was _not_ Naminé. " Keyblade Wielders always take the initiative. So it was said that some can destroy but others can save. You once destroyed; isn't it time to start saving?"

Riku looked at her oddly. " There's something else you're hinting at, aren't you?"

Naminé smiled, a pure innocent grin that made him smile in return. " Of course. After all, I had a dream last night."

_A dream? Oh boy._

She looked around, saw the others were still busy talking about who-knows-what, then leaned forward so only Riku could hear.

" I dreamt the Heartless will strike. They will come…for _her_."

Riku paled. No, not again! " They're collecting the Princesses _again_?"

" They're rather stupid, if you ask me," the blond teenager replied in a carefree manner as she leaned back and continued to draw. " Twice they tried to collect them and twice they failed, thanks in part to you, Sora, and King Mickey. But this time…there's no one to stand in their way."

" What are you talking about?" he scowled. He could fight and he _damn_ well knew it! " I'm here, aren't I?"

" You can't do this alone," she said softly, still sketching. " We need all three to stop them from opening the door to untold wisdom-"

That was what Maleficent once said, what the Enigmatic Man once said, what Axel and DiZ had uttered. Not Kingdom Hearts, as Ansem had raved about, but another door.

"- because that door will unleash _their_ idea of paradise: utter Darkness. They're going to collect all the Princesses within their reach before they turn to Destiny Islands."

She then stopped drawing, looked at the motley group sitting at this table in the library, then looked Riku in the eye. " There's a reason why Auron came here, besides looking after Tidus. He knows the Darkness won't stop until they get their hands on all the Princesses. That's why you've all been training. The only effective people are the ones closest to Kairi."

" Why didn't I know that-"

" Well, now you do," Naminé smiled sweetly as she finished sketching. She erased a bit and blew away the eraser bits. " Its only a matter of when they strike so be on the lookout, Riku, or this is all you'll get."

She made a rare move by showing him what she had just drawn.

It was an endless, clouded sky over an endless, dark and stormy sea. And right there, floating along was-

" Sora?"

""

Her eyelids felt heavy, like someone piled rocks on top of them. She had to blink several times before her eyes were fully functional.

" What-what happened?" she groaned, stretching her limbs and yawning. Oh it felt so good being able to use her body without wincing at the soreness. Her feet hit something and she turned, sitting up in the process.

Sitting at the foot of the bed was Tetsu, sleeping. She had kicked at his leg but he didn't seem to notice.

Kairi stared at him for a few minutes, stupidly wondering what he was doing there – or why he was in her house, for that matter – when she looked at the clock.

1:17 P.M.

She stared at it for a few minutes, wondering if this was all a dream. But she could hear the rain falling and a pinch on her arm told her she was up.

" Oh gods, I was out for more than twelve hours?" she groaned, pulling her legs out from under the blankets and setting them on the dull red carpet. She eyed the light-haired stranger and wondered why he was still here.

" What's your purpose in this life, Tetsu…" she sighed, yawning again. " Why are you still here? I should kick you out of my house; you look well enough…"

Saying so, she staggered off, going to her room to find some clothes.

Tetsu slowly opened one eye. Coast was clear.

Sighing, he slid down onto the bed on his back and stared up at the ceiling.

_Yes, why am I still here…after all, I've recovered. I should go looking for Sora again…_

But something nagged his mind.

_Should I bring her? After all, she knows Sora. It would help to bring along someone who knows who I'm looking for, right?_

He thought no more, closing his eyes and trying to catch up on more sleep. But he couldn't.

_I should talk to her, find out more about her friend. I can tell something more is going on than she's letting on…_

Groaning, he sat up and headed downstairs.

''

Brushing her long red hair, she exited the bathroom, keeping the door open to let out the steam. Dumping her clothes in the hamper next to her room, she headed downstairs. She chose to wear blue shorts and a white shirt; today it seemed warmer than usual. And she didn't plan on going outside anytime soon, where it was still raining.

Halfway down the stairs she spotted Tetsu lounging on the couch, staring at the wrecked television screen. She could see the edge of a bronze figurine of a dog in it.

_Great, he used that figurine, too? How dare he…_

After all, Sora had given it to her on her tenth birthday.

Grimacing at this violent act, she marched downstairs and walked right at him. He didn't seem to hear her approach him from behind but most certainly realized she was there when she smacked him on the head.

" Ow, what the hell, lady!" he yelled, whirling around in his seat. " I thought you were just going to go to the kitchen, not attack me-"

" You're paying for both the television set and the statue," she snapped, pointing at the wreck with her brush. " _Sora_ gave me that figurine, okay? If that thing has a scratch on it, I will wring your neck and throw you out of my house!"

" Try me," he smirked.

" You're only in here because I offered to bring you in after you got smacked by the damn car!" Kairi shot back hotly. Seeing those blue eyes, _his_ eyes, taunting her made her even angrier. " So you'd better watch your tongue or I'll throw you out!"

She turned to go but felt a hand grip her wrist. She whirled around and glowered at him. " Let. Me. Go."

He watched her, his face stony. " Not until we talk. There's some things I want to ask you about."

" Oh really?" she asked, suddenly curious. " About what?"

" I want to know about Sora."

She blinked. " What is it you want to know about him?"

" Will you sit down, first?" Tetsu asked, his eyes gesturing to the seat next to him.

" Will you let me go?"

He released his grip and she made the trip around the couch, touching her wrist. He had an iron grip and it hurt.

" Sorry about that," he muttered as she sat down as far away from him as possible. He didn't look it, though.

" Fire away, Tetsu; I haven't got all day," she sighed, brushing her hair again.

He watched her for a few minutes as she pulled the kinks out of her hair. " Well?"

Deciding not to provoke her further, he began. " What's Sora like?"

She froze. " What's he like? Well, that's hard to answer since I haven't seen him in some years, is it?"

" People don't change that drastically."

She blinked, thinking for a minute. " True…well, he's an idiot. An idiot and lazy bum. But he's smart for one. A bit naïve…and cheerful-" his goofy grin came to mind "-and a bit goofy at that. But he won't back down from a challenge. When his heart's set on something, he won't stop until he gets what he wants. He's stubborn, in other words."

" He doesn't sound like the hero-type at all," she heard Tetsu mutter.

" Does he have to? Well…the last time I saw him, he was more serious. His eyes weren't all that…innocent or naïve now. I guess that's what comes out of fighting Heartless for such a long time. And saving worlds. And stopping the Organization from…collecting the Princesses of Heart again…"

He glanced at her sharply, hearing sorrow enter her tone.

" He never breaks his promises. If that's one thing you must know, it's that. He promised me he'll come back after he, Riku, and King Mickey closed Kingdom Hearts, and he did. But only for a little bit. We met briefly, but then he told me to go. Them three, Donald, and Goofy were fighting some red-haired man named Axel…before this great white door. And there were roses, lots of roses. And then-"

" Wait, back up a bit," Tetsu interrupted. " None of that made sense right there. Clarify."

" Well obviously you weren't paying attention," Kairi huffed. " Fine, so some weird things happened and I met Sora again. We – meaning me, Sora, and his companions Donald and Goofy – went to Disney Castle to meet up with King Mickey and Riku. From there we went to the castle's basement, where the world's light was. But Sora and King Mickey headed straight for a door…shrouded by roses. Then Axel appeared. He's a red-haired man who plays with fire and he most certainly did. Sora told me to get out of there. He knew that Axel was out to get me…so he and the others stopped him. Donald pointed the way out and I ran. I should've stayed, though…I should've stayed rather than run. It was a horrible memory…"

Tears blurred her vision and she hastily wiped them away. She did not want to cry; she couldn't! She sniffed, then continued her story. " Chip and Dale, the engineers of Disney, had a gummi ship ready for me. I took it…came back to Destiny Islands. I don't know why I did; after waiting for Sora for over a year, we had to be…separated like that? Why is the world so cruel to me? I love him…but I never told him that. I should've told him in the short time span we were together…but I didn't! And every day I had to live that way, wondering if things would have been different if I told him so…"

A tear rolled down her cheek and dripped off her chin. She continued to stare in the distance, lost in her thoughts.

" The last thing he told me was, " Don't worry, Kairi, I'm always with you! And I'll come back, I promise, no matter what happens!" I've waited for two years now, two years, and he hasn't come back. Damn it, Sora; where are you! I've waited for so long…and I can't take it anymore…it hurts too much…"

She covered her face with her hands, trying to stop the flow of tears and failing. Outside it was raining harder and thunder boomed.

Tetsu sat silently, listening to her sob in her hands. He didn't know what to do; he felt absolutely nothing towards her. But he placed a hand on her shoulder.

" Hey, it's okay…" he fumbled over his words. " It's…it's going to be alright. He'll come back, la-Kairi. He will-"

" How do you know…" she whispered through her tears. " Why won't he come back? Why…"

Hesitantly he put an arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him, crying openly now. She buried her face into him, her tears soaking his shirt.

"…what can I do? I can't wait any longer…it hurts, Sora, it hurts…"

_There is something you can do_, he thought, holding her and feeling her shake with tears. _You can go out and find him. Find him…and put all your worries to rest._

But for now he sat there, listening to her cry, while the weather stormed in tandem with her sorrow.

""

" Where were you?" was the first question out of Riku's mouth Monday morning as Kairi closed her umbrella and stored it in her locker.

" Why do you ask?" she retorted, pulling things out of her black backpack.

" You weren't at Alba Library yesterday; isn't that a cause for worry?" he muttered, leaning against the lockers next to hers. He stared at his feet, looking rather tense.

" What's wrong?" she asked quizzically as she pulled out her supplies for her art class.

" Huh? Oh, nothing…"

She eyed him, wondering what was going through her mind. " Why, did I miss anything?"

" Um…no, no not at all. I don't think you did…" Riku mused. " Did you do your homework?"

The auburn-haired senior grimaced at this. Oh yes, she did…but there was a lot more to it than she cared to explain. " Yes…barely."

" What do you mean, 'barely'?" Riku echoed as she shut her locker and the two began to walk out of the building. Her art class was to the left of the building and they'd be walking under a covered hall so she didn't need her umbrella.

" Well…some stuff came up," she mumbled, making up excuses as they walked. Given the weather, students were packed into the covered walkway. The students in need to hurry escaped the shelter and ran for their respective buildings, cursing the weather all the while. " Had to deal with them…you know, because of the weather."

Well, that _was_ half-true; the lights went out while she was trying to write an essay. That and Tetsu constantly asking if she had food. She had snapped at him, telling him to leave her alone and go find a book but apparently he hated reading. So like Sora-

She breathed sharply, remembering the comparison she had made so instantaneously. What was wrong with her? Even Tetsu told her he wasn't Sora; after all, why'd Sora look for himself?

" Kairi?"

Riku was watching her with a very worried expression on his face. She flashed him a quick grin. " Nothing's wrong. I was just thinking. Why do you think it keeps raining?"

There, she gave him something else to think about. And there he went, musing as they neared her A.P. Art class in A Building.

" Well…the weatherman's just as confused as the rest of Destiny Islands," he managed an answer. " The whole world's going to flood if this downpour won't let up. But where'd all the rain come from; that's what I want to know."

" I read somewhere that it had something to do with cold air and warm air and humidity or something of the like," she muttered, trying to remember everything she 'learned' in science. But then again, that was years ago. After Physics last year, she dropped science; hated it to hell. Science denounced magic; well she had a thing or two to show those damn writers! " But I don't know…maybe the weather's just being an idiot to me."

They were outside her classroom and already she could feel the heat seeping out from the cracks all around the door. Poor Miss Frame; she probably moved here for the warm climes but ever since Riku and Naminé turned up, it been raining and freezing hell.

" Hey, cheer up, Kai," Riku smiled. " So what if the weather's being an idiot? It don't matter, does it? Life won't go down the drain just because the rain keeps coming. It's the other stuff…"

He didn't go any further. Point was taken. She sighed, shaking her head. " It's okay, Riku. I-I have to get over it, don't I?"

" Forget him, you mean?"

" Not that…I won't forget him; I can't. But…I can't live in the past, can I?"

Riku eyed her weird. His expression was quite easy to read: where'd the fuck did she come to this train of thought? He was slow in his answer. " It's up to you, really…"

" Maybe it is…" Kairi sighed then held out her arm to push the door. Quite suddenly an arm went around her waist and pulled her into him.

" Whatever choice you make, I'm right behind you," she heard Riku whisper. He then let her go and walked down the hall, leaving her to stare at him.

" What…was that?" she wondered, confused and embarrassed all at once. After all, there _were_ other people in the hallway, too. This was school, after all.

Sighing, she opened the door and entered class.

Funny thing was, the only thing in her mind were those emotionless blue eyes.

**Author's Endnote**: Oh, I redid my bio profile, AGAIN! Do check it out; I have some choice words to say about being bored and the American society! And a special note at the bottom for all you women! (No offense guys; you can burn an effigy of Michael Moore for this!)


	6. Moving

**Author's Note:** Because I'm headed to Grandma's house for the weekend (without access to the Internet, woe is me) I do not have the time to say reply to all the comments, criticisms, and theories concerning the story and, especially, Tetsu. If it seems obvious that it's going to b TxK, well, first we'll have to see how things go between them and everyone else involved with the 'find Door of Light and fight the Heartless' situation. Ya? Ya, okay!

**Rain of Sorrow**

**Chapter 5: Moving**

Tuesdays. He was sure she said something about Tuesdays but he forgot. As usual.

" But dammit, I'm _bored_!" he growled as he prowled around her house. He had gotten so familiar with every piece of furniture in this home that he could walk around blindfolded and not bump into things. Hell, he'd even run around blindfolded and not run into anything! Not that he'd try.

He stared up at the clock; yesterday she had taught him what the clock was used for. And left him feeling stupid afterwards. If there was one thing that woman was good at, it was making him feel like a fool. A happy fool, really-

" Tetsu, get your act together," he muttered to himself, blowing his bangs out of his eyes. " You're only here until you can convince her to go with you and find Sora. Well, then again, she doesn't need much convincing, does she?"

But she was a Princess of Heart. That would make things harder, much harder. From what he had managed to gather from the worlds he had passed through and from her own words, he'd be guarding Kairi the whole way while looking for that elusive Keyblade Master.

" Oh great, great fucking shit, this…is…just…GREAT!" he yelled. Within seconds, the furious look vanished and he looked like his calm, detached self again. " Whoa, Tetsu; haven't yelled like _that_ before..."

He looked around, half-expecting someone to barge into the house and slap him round the head for that explosion. Instead he saw that it was almost three…that it was still raining outside…that he was bored as hell…

" I wonder what school Kairi goes to…" he thought and a plan came to mind.

" Where's her umbrella when you need it?"

""

" You know, I think Auron's going to kill me someday," Wakka remarked as they all gathered in front of Kairi's locker at the end of school.

" I wonder why," Tidus remarked sarcastically as Irvine strode by. He tipped his hat to them – still didn't see Selphie flush at his mere appearance – and strode out of school. Shooting practice. Again.

" See you later!" Wakka yelled.

" Must you be so loud?" Lulu sighed, rolling her eyes. " Come on, let's not dally. Remember the last time we did that?"

" Oh yeah…" Selphie nodded. " Fifty push-ups. A big no-no. Let's go, guys; Yuna's probably waiting for us in this miserable rain."

That got Tidus moving; he had his umbrella up and working as he dashed out of the school.

" Nice," Riku smirked.

Giggling, Kairi opened up her umbrella, too; it had become habit for everyone to carry umbrellas now, seeing that there would be no end to the rain.

" If it keeps raining, it'll drown out the lawns," Lulu remarked to no one in particular. " All we'll have left will be an oozing green mess. Rotting, too."

" Dear, I don't think you had to say that," Wakka replied, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. " We didn't need to hear it-"

" Whoa!" Selphie yelped. " Who's that?"

They had reached Tidus by now, who was also standing and staring.

Kairi looked up and paled immediately. " Uh oh…"

Riku looked at her for a moment, then followed everybody else's line of sight. He turned pale, too.

" Hm…he looks like Sora, doesn't he?" said a voice at his elbow.

" Naminé?" Riku turned to her while Kairi stepped forward. Or more like strode towards the drenched figure standing in front of Fate Memorial High, looking like he didn't give a shit that it was raining.

" Tetsu! What do you think you're doing here?" she hissed, tilting her umbrella to get a better look at his slightly amused face.

" I'm bored. What else did I have to do?" he replied with a shrug.

" That's what you get for trashing my television!" she snapped back. " If you-"

" Your friends are staring at us," he cut her off and gestured to the people behind her. " Introduce me?"

She followed his line of sight to her buddies, who were staring at them with something akin to confusion. Briefly she spotted Yuna approaching them from under a light blue umbrella, looking at the exchange curiously, then found herself settling her gaze on Riku. He didn't look happy at all. Then again, who did?

" Uh…Sora?" Wakka called out tentatively, unsure if he was seeing things.

" No, if I was Sora, I'd have recognized you by now, won't I?" Tetsu snapped back harshly. " Will you people _please_ stop calling me Sora?"

" Well…um…you do look like him," Selphie mentioned tentatively.

" So I've heard," he muttered, though his eyes were watching Riku carefully.

" How'd you meet him, Kairi?" Riku asked quietly.

" He nearly got run over by a Porsche the other day and I was one of only three people out here to notice it," she replied with a sigh. " He seemed pretty okay though, so I offered to let him stay at my house until he got better."

" And apparently he did," Riku cut her off before she could say more. " Who are you? What's your business here?"

They all blinked at him, stunned by his cold demands. Then Tetsu smiled, just as coldly.

" My name's Tetsu. I'm not from this world-"

" You're not supposed to be talking about that," Naminé said warily. " It's important to protect the World Order and its borders. Or did you not learn?"

" What World Order? I don't know any World Order, lady, so don't give me that sort of shit," he snapped back. He was on edge, not liking Kairi's friends at all.

" Hey, be nice," Riku growled, stepping forward. " That's no way to talk to her-"

" Sorry about that," Tetsu answered icily, crossing his arms before his chest and glaring at him. " The borders are down, by the way. They've been so for a very long time. But I think you two know that, don't you?"

He was referring to Riku and Naminé; the others were staring with something akin to confusion. Then his eyes trailed to Yuna. " So does she."

She paled at this and Tidus stepped in front of her defensively.

" I'm not going to bite," Tetsu muttered. " Geezes, what's with people these days-"

" You're the one who should be asking yourself that," Kairi retorted. " Going around snapping at people. What did they do to you? As far as I can remember, nothing! So why don't you go back to my house, Tetsu? Leave us, dammit!"

She made to push him but he grabbed her by the wrists, forcing her to drop her umbrella in the process. " I'd rather not. What do you people do on Tuesdays?"

They all looked at each other. Looks passed; should they answer?

" We go to a place…to train," Lulu finally replied. " We know about the Heartless so every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, we meet with Yuna's guardian to practice honing our skills."

" Interesting," Tetsu nodded, still holding onto Kairi's wrists and not realizing that she was getting drenched in the downpour. " Mind if I come?"

" Absolutely-" Riku began, a negative answer in mind.

" Yes, you may," Naminé interrupted. " After all, I'll be going, too. Let's see what you can do, Tetsu; I sense there's more to you than you let on."

The man blinked, pushing his sunburnt bangs out of his eyes. " What are you talking about-"

" We're late," Tidus looked at his watch. " Oh we are soooo late; Auron's going to kill us-"

" Auron?" Tetsu looked thoughtful. " His name sounds familiar…"

" He's…famous, in a sense," Yuna explained. " Since he seems familiar to you, why not meet him?"

Tetsu thought again. Then he nodded slowly. " Very well."

He looked down at Kairi and released her. " Shall we?"

" Shall we what?" she spat back, not all impressed by his total lack of manners.

" This, of course."

Suddenly the ground dropped out from under her. Shocked, she latched onto the closest thing there was and yelped. Everything around her was dark and she felt like she was falling…

…onto solid ground. She stumbled; arms caught her and kept her from falling into the street and the mass of water flowing over onto the sidewalk.

She heard cursing and swearing and plenty of yelling from the others. Pushing her wet bangs out of her eyes, she found herself staring up into Tetsu's face. He was unbearably close; she felt herself turn red.

" Warn us next time, you great lunkhead!" she heard Wakka snap at him.

" At least we're here," Lulu said quietly and all talk subsided.

" Yeah, good point," others were muttering.

" Tetsu?" she whispered, trying not to lose herself in his eyes. " Can you let me go?"

" If you say so," he replied and backed off. She staggered and a foot went into ankle-deep water.

" What was that for?" she demanded, striding up to him and shoving him against the wall of the building they had appeared in front of. " What the hell was that for?"

" You told me to let you go so I did," he answered stonily, not at all bothered by her anger.

" That was not nice," Riku's voice cut in. He suddenly appeared to the side, holding the umbrella over both himself and Kairi. " Let's go in; leave that idiot out here unless he decides to clean up his act."

He placed a hand over her wet shoulder; she nodded and the both of them disappeared into the building. Tetsu watched them go.

" I could care less," he muttered; the rain didn't bother him anymore since he was already soaked through but the cold was starting to get to him. " Well, maybe I do…"

The blonde girl's words echoed in his mind. _"Let's see what you can do, Tetsu; I sense there's more to you than you let on."_

" Does she now…" he mused and turned to enter the building. He spotted Kairi's umbrella lying on the ground and reached out. He took it and, with some difficulty, he closed it. Putting it under his am, he reached the doorway into the building but spotted a dark flash from the corner of his eye.

" If ye come near, ye will regret it," he muttered, daring the glowing yellow eyes to advance. " Shit, they're here."

He entered the building, taking care to shut the door behind him.

''

Auron tossed Kairi another towel and she took it gratefully; this crazy man had the air conditioning at full speed while it was raining outside. Wrapping herself in it, she gave herself the liberty to shiver.

" Why is it that the rest of you lot are dry?" he asked of them. Spotting the look they passed to each other, he pressed on. " What happened out there? Am I missing something here?"

" Well, besides Irvine off to shooting practice-" Yuna smacked Tidus on the head with her staff "-nothing much. At least that's what I think-"

Kairi wrung out her hair, leaving behind quite an impressive puddle. Auron glared at it but said nothing.

" Well…" It was Naminé speaking. " Something interesting _did_ happen on our way here-"

" But its nothing," Riku added sharply. Too sharply; Auron gave him a curious eye.

" What happened-"

The door shut behind him and Auron whirled around, his katana materializing in the hand that wasn't slung in his jacket. The sharp edge came within an inch of Tetsu's neck.

" Hey, old man; got things going there, don't' you?" he smiled faintly, smirking. " Barely saw that one coming; don't need to be so edgy now, eh?"

Auron cast a glance at the others. It was plainly obvious what he wanted of them.

" Oh, heheh…that's Tetsu," Kairi replied nervously; after all she knew him the most. " He nearly got run over by a Porsche the other day and he's been staying about my house ever since. I think he's all ready to leave now-"

" Not until he answers a few questions," Auron replied. The blade's edge still rested against his neck. " And you'd better answer them."

" I would if you got rid of that great sword of yours," Tetsu retorted, returning his glare.

" I prefer to stay on the safe side," was the curt reply.

" Oh very nice, but who'd want to talk to some guy who could slice off their head with a flick of a wrist?"

There was a sudden blur and Tetsu was leaning against the wall to Auron's right. The others gaped at him, especially Kairi.

" Very nice," Auron said slowly, acknowledging the man's skill. " Very well, if you wish it. Firstly, why are you here?"

" That's what I'd like to know," Riku added. Naminé threw him a warning glance and hissed, " You're not helping!"

Tetsu smirked at this exchange. " I'm not sure that's a good thing to ask me about. On with the next question-"

" I think not," Auron replied coolly. " You're here for something, aren't you?"

" Not really," the man replied, blowing his now-dry bangs out of his face. Kairi felt her heart flutter. There was only one other person she knew who did that. " I just got here by accident. Luckiest accident I've ever been in-"

" What, landing on Destiny Islands or getting hit by a Porsche?" Wakka joked.

Tetsu leered at him until he stopped laughing. " Seriously, what's it with you people and fancy cars? They're just automobiles; what's the big idea?"

" The big idea is that we're getting off-topic and you haven't answered my question yet." Auron took a step forward. " Why are you here?"

Tetsu looked at him with cold anger. He spoke each word that came out of his mouth with sharp precision. " I'm here to look for Sora."

Silence.

" I thought so," he smiled at their stunned expressions. Well, maybe except for Auron.

" You're looking for _Sora_?" he asked, looking slightly confused now. That wasn't normal for Auron and Kairi knew it. " Why the hell would you be looking for-"

" Two things, old man. One, I'm NOT Sora. Therefore I have the liberty of looking for him. Two, I've got these."

He held out his hands in front of him – never mind that he was spraying water everywhere – and opened the palms of his hands.

There was a roar of darkness and a flash of light. When Kairi felt it was safe to stop shielding her eyes, she took a peek and stared.

" What are you doing with that?" she all but yelled at him.

" What am I doing with what?" Tetsu asked, looking slightly confused now.

" Th-that! My lucky charm!" Kairi marched up to him and slapped a hand on the Oathkeeper in his left hand. " I gave this to Sora years ago! Where'd you get it!"

" Look, Kairi, what are you talking about-"

" Don't give me that 'I don't know this' and 'I don't know that' shit!" she barked. " Where'd you get it? Tell me!"

She glared at him, breathing heavily, not realizing that others were staring at her with something much like shock. He stared as well, just as stunned and utterly confused.

" I…uh…oh shit, how do I explain this…" he quickly backed away, dismissing the Oathkeeper and Oblivion from his hands. He watched Kairi like she was about to attack him. " Look, when I came to a year ago, I didn't know who I am, what I was doing there, or what my purpose in life was, okay? Two days later, those damn Heartless tried to jump me. And the first thing that came to my mind were…Keyblades. Then those two appeared. It's been like that ever since. I can summon them at will whenever I'm dealing with Heartless, Nobodies, or those damn hoody people-"

" The Organization?" Naminé immediately interrupted. She looked at Riku sharply. " What do they want with you."

" Beats me, lady. What do you know of them?"

" My name is Naminé and the Organization used to hold me prisoner," she said quietly. " I'm a witch; I can twist memories at will."

" And I was the one who broke them up," Riku offered his words. " I was a spy in the Organization for a man who wanted very much to destroy them, DiZ. Problem was, things got out of hand when I had to confront Axel-"

" Kairi's told me as much," Tetsu said abruptly. " You're Riku, aren't you? You're one of the three Keyblade Wielders, if I'm correct."

" Indeed you are," Naminé nodded.

Selphie, Tidus, Wakka, Yuna, and Lulu looked at each other in confusion. What was going on?

" Tetsu," Auron was speaking now, " you know what you're up against if you're going to look for Sora."

" Of course I do; I've faced them before," he snapped. " If I didn't' know I wouldn't be here alive, would I?"

" I want to test you." Auron strode onto the cushioned blue platform. He turned and looked at Tetsu, who was watching him warily. " Well?"

The darkly-dressed man sighed and stepped up. Within seconds, he flipped backwards to avoid a slash that would've torn out his windpipe.

" Very good," Auron nodded, bending low. His katana was ready. " Now…come."

Tetsu obeyed, the Oathkeeper and Oblivion flashing into his hands.

''

**Kairi's POV**

It was…beautiful. I didn't know how else to put it. The whole of the fight was the most graceful, powerful set of motions I had ever laid my eyes upon.

Auron made things look easy of course, since he was using only one hand to fight. But I could tell he was straining against the power that was Tetsu. I never knew he could fight like this. How?

He was a blur, speeding all around Auron, the Oblivion clashing while the Oathkeeper soared in for the kill. And each time Auron dodged the double blow. It was amazing.

I could tell everybody else was impressed by it, everyone that was…except Riku. He was watching with a very unhappy expression on his face.

" Riku, what's wrong?" I asked quietly, not wanting to interrupt his train of thought if he had one.

" There's something…about him that's bothering me," was his very bothered reply.

" What do you mean?"

" Kairi, watch him."

I did as he told me. It was actually harder than I expected; Tetsu was a constant, moving flash of black and his two keyblades were flying. But slowly, ever so slowly, I felt my eyes adjust to his speed. And then I saw it.

He had a lowered stance, keeping his body low to the ground but when needs be, he soared like there was no gravity holding him down. He held his keyblades in a strange way, pulling them back so the heads were perfectly aligned with the weak spots of his opponent. And he fought with determined speed, going at it until he got it right.

He fought just like Sora.

I didn't realize I gasped until Riku replied, " See what I mean?"

" You don't think its…him, do you?" I whispered, not wanting to believe it. Everything was there, his stance, his weapons, his eyes…

" He denies it," he mumbled a reply. " Seems quite attached to his name and his past. What do you know about it?"

I thought for a second, recalling with perfect clarity everything he told me about him. " He came to in a city a year ago. He didn't know his name or who he was. People helped him along, until the Heartless and the Organization started hunting him. Then he met a man named Cid, who helped him out until he suggested Tetsu should go look for Sora. He said Cid believed looking for Sora would give him some answers."

" Is this Cid the Cid we're talking about?" he asked, referring to the smartass-talking blond man we both knew.

" I don't think so. His Cid is supposedly bald and has an accent. But I think it's just bizarre that Cid would tell him that sort of thing-"

" Well I did hear from King Mickey once that there were only three Keyblade Wielders in the world. The fact that we haven't seen Sora for two years…and this guy wielding two Keyblades kind of tells us something right there."

" Yes but…can we prove it?" I've seen the look in his eyes, the way he acts, talks, thinks; this guy is just too emotionless and harsh to be the Sora I knew.

" It depends…" he drifted off, watching as Auron yelled out, " Stop!"

Instead of producing the effects of Stop as she was used to whenever he said that, Tetsu was thrown backwards onto his rear. The keyblades went flying.

" What was that for, old man? I was getting warmed up here-"

" For the record I'm thirty-seven, I'm not old," he shot back. " Now stand up. I think that's enough for today."

He then saw us staring at him. " What are you lot doing here? I thought you'd be doing something by now!"

" What?" Wakka yelled in disbelief. " And miss all the action-ow!"

Lulu removed her hand from behind his head. " You needed it."

" Yeah, thanks, Lulu," he grimaced. I hid a smile.

"Naminé, can you please come forward," I heard Auron call out while Tetsu picked up his weapons and dismissed them.

" Me?" she pointed to herself but she stepped forward anyways. " Yes sir?"

" What can you do?" he asked bluntly while Tetsu approached Riku and me. He was sweating profusely but looked like he was having the time of his life. Despite the grin on his face, I knew he couldn't be Sora-or was he? The Sora I knew didn't like hard work but the smile he was giving me reminded me of the goofy teenager I've been waiting for the last two years.

" So…how was I against the old man?" he asked, looking cheerful for once. What's up with him? I stared, not realizing I was doing so until the smile left his face. " Um…are you okay?"

He stepped closer and I suddenly realized what I was doing. Shocked, I turned away, trying to hide the blush that I knew was creeping up my face.

" Of course she is," I heard Riku snap at his question and Tetsu quickly backed off. " Hey, I'm not trying to do anything here. I'm trying to respect you since you are a Keyblade Wielder but keep this up and I will seriously hurt your ass."

" Try me," Riku growled back. He didn't sound too friendly. I hoped Tetsu was joking.

" I think I will."

There was a flash and Selphie pulled me away as Tetsu and Riku lunged at each other.

" Okay, _now_ what happened?" Wakka demanded but the clash of weapons drowned out his question _and_ the explosions in the room next door.

" Riku, Tetsu, stop it!" I yelled. Oh gods, Tetsu's already gone through Auron; he didn't know what he was up against! " Tetsu, stop it! Riku, knock it off-"

Riku slammed into the wall, narrowly missing the mirror next to him. He turned to Tetsu, who seemed to be taunting him.

" C'mon, show me more than that!" I heard him call out. I got mad.

" Tetsu, stop it!" I yelled, coming between the two, quite forgetting what was going on between the two.

" Kairi!" the warning came. " Look out!"

I turned, saw the Soul Eater coming me, and a white card with jagged edges – three hills and two valleys – come in between me and Riku. Then something shoved me to the side and I fell. Hard. I could hear Riku stumble over himself as another light flashed.

" What happened?" Yuna yelled as she ran out of the spell casting room. She looked frazzled and fearful all at once. One glance and I saw Tidus laughing, despite the present situation.

" Ow…" I groaned, trying to sit up. And finding myself unable to do so; Tetsu had pushed me over at the last minute and he was still lying on top of me. In a very 'wrong' position. I felt heat rush up my face. " Tetsu, can you get off?"

" Only if that bastard isn't going to kill anyone," was his stern reply. He seriously thought Riku was going to attack again.

" Oh no, he won't be anytime soon," came Naminé's high-pitched reply. She sounded shaken, like something life-threatening had just happened. " Believe me, he won't."

" What are you talking about?" I demanded, pushing Tetsu off. I sat up and saw Riku sprawled all over the floor. He seemed to have been knocked out. How could that have happened-

The card. I turned to Naminé. " What did you do?"

Auron was smiling. " The best thing I ever saw. Naminé, can you wake him up?"

Smiling, she held up her hand. Another card, just like the one she threw in between me and Riku, materialized in her hand. It was glowing, too. She tossed it to Riku and there was a flash. Then I heard him groaning.

" What-what happened?" he slurred, trying to get his bearings. " Ow…"

" You were going to dice Kairi like you'd dice an onion," Auron said sternly. " So Naminé here showed me what she's got by knocking you out with one of her cards. Good thing, too. I'm very impressed, Naminé. Same with you, Tetsu."

He looked pointedly at the poor guy, who was looking genuinely confused. By now, Lulu had joined the others; she looked just as frazzled as Yuna and Wakka was also attempting not to laugh. Selphie had that look on her face; she seemed caught between conking out both Tidus and Wakka, and dealing with them after they've come around.

" I've what?" Riku blinked, staring at me. " How'd that happen?"

" We were fighting, remember?" Tetsu stated like it was the most natural thing ever. I stared at him. " After I shoved you into the wall, Kairi came between us, wanting us to stop. But you kept at it, so Naminé stopped you with that card thingy while I pushed her away. You still would've diced her, even if she knocked you out."

He pointed to the Soul Eater, lying a few feet away from the poor, baffled Riku. " I suggest you put that away for the day."

" I-I almost hit Kairi?" Riku didn't seem to believe himself. He looked at me. " I'm so sorry-"

I held up a hand. " It's okay. Just…don't do that again, okay?"

He nodded. I then turned to Tetsu. " And _you_, don't do that again either!"

He scowled but nodded.

" Well, aren't we all done for the day?" Auron smirked at the exchange. I knew he was up to something but he wasn't going to say anything about it. " Well, except for Tidus, Selphie, and Wakka-"

" No, no! We'll do something!" Wakka yelped as Tidus and Selphie quickly summoned their weapons. They all looked quite ready to pounce each other but the looks on their faces…were really worth a thousand words. I couldn't help but laugh.

" I feel bad for this…" Auron was muttering. " Alright, you three are free today; don't expect me to be so generous come Thursday."

The panicked look on my friends' faces vanished and now they looked plain stunned. I started to giggle again. Oh I never felt so happy before-

" Um…Kairi?" Riku was looking at me weird. " Are you…alright?"

I smothered my laughter with my hand and managed to nod.

" Are we dismissed?" Tetsu demanded. The giggles vanished. I looked at him; he seemed tense, nervous about something. " Can we go?"

" Well yes, I said so, didn't I?" Auron looked irritated. " Why, do you have a problem?"

" No, not with you," he said, dismissing the older man with a wave of his hand. " Kairi, I think I should teleport you back home-"

" Are you nuts?" I didn't want the ground to drop out from under my feet again! " I'd prefer we get there the old-fashioned way: walking. Or do you not like the rain?"

I glared at him but he ignored me. Instead he turned to the door, to the window where one could still see the rain fall. I followed his gaze, half-expecting to see those green eyes again-

" Maybe we should go," I heard Naminé suggest. " But Tetsu, what's wrong?"

He strode to the door and peeked out of the window. He then turned his head to look Auron in the eye. " Turn off the lights."

" What's that?"

" Old man, turn off the lights; if there's one thing these bastards are attracted to, it's light."

" Wait, are you suggesting-" Selphie began to say.

Tetsu opened the door into the rain as Auron did as told. The whole room turned dark; it felt…ominous. I felt my heart pounding…but why? What danger was out there besides…

Something grabbed my arm. I yelped.

" It's only me," Tetsu said and pulled me out into the rain. " Can you fight?"

" I don't come here for nothing, you know," I retorted. Geezes, he was so rude!

" Why do you ask?" I felt Riku follow us out. He grimaced at the raindrops but stuck to me as Tetsu continued to drag me down the street.

" Hey, what's with you?" Selphie yelled as she ran after us. Naminé and the others followed. And, strangely enough, I saw Auron step outside and close the door, locking it. I never saw him leaving his rooms before; what was he up to?

" Tetsu!" I yelled over the rain; it was so loud, all the heavy drops splashing against the cement. " Tetsu, what are you doing! Let go!"

I pulled my arm but he only held on tighter. It hurt; he had an iron grip that cut off my circulation and I needed that blood badly. " Let go!"

I jerked back and he promptly did so. I fell backwards into Riku, who was still behind us. His arms wrapped around me, supporting me as I tried to get my legs to work. I glared at the man. The nerve of him! " What was that for?"

" If you weren't so darn stubborn maybe I'll explain some things along the way!" Tetsu snapped back. I shuddered; he looked so angry. His eyes were flaring despite the gloom and he was trying to hold back a snarl.

Then I saw how tense he was; he was lowering himself in that fighting stance – Sora's stance – and realized he was expecting something bad to happen.

Behind us I heard splashing and heard Naminé say, " I told you, Riku; they're coming."

Coming? Who was coming? What was she talking about? What did she know?

" What?" I heard his voice shake and he released me. " What are you talking about?"

" Remember what I told you Sunday?"

" Well, you didn't tell us, ya?" Wakka panted as the others joined us. " So…why not tell us?"

" Maybe she will but not here!" Tetsu made to grab me but Riku shoved him away.

" Give us some answers or we're not budging," he snapped.

" Oh right, that's what you want?" Tetsu looked so genuinely worried. " Well, I'll tell you-"

The Oblivion keyblade suddenly flashed into his right hand.

" –they're here."

Who's here?

Then something cold exploded in me. I didn't know what it was but it shocked me. Gasping I fell on my knees, holding the place over my heart.

" Kairi!" Riku and Naminé knelt before me. " Kairi, what's wrong?"

I knew, I knew what Tetsu was talking about. But how did _he_ know?

" They're here," that crazy man repeated. " The Heartless."

" The what?" Tidus yelled. " That can't be! They haven't been here for two years!"

" Well, now they are." There was a black light in Tetsu's eyes. " And they're here for someone."

Me. The Princess of Heart. Oh my god. Sora wasn't able to stop them!

" Then what are you waiting for!" Auron was yelling from behind them. I heard the metallic song of his katana and knew he was on guard. " Run!"

Tetsu reached out to me again. This time I didn't try to get away.

" Go to Kairi's house!" Auron was yelling. " Blast any Heartless in your path with everything I taught you! Go!"

Weapons flashed as we ran. The Oblivion glowed ominously in Tetsu's right as he pulled me along. Riku was right behind us, stabbing at any of the Heartless that tried to get near with the Soul Eater. They were appearing, appearing everywhere, right out of the ground. Their eyes were watching me, watching Riku, watching the key in Tetsu's hand.

" Yuna!" Tidus turned to see her trip and fall on her knees. The Heartless were on her instantly.

" Tidus, run!" she screamed, trying to fend them off with her staff. My heart beat rapidly; we can't lose her!

" Not yet!" my blond friend rushed forward, his sword Brotherhood flashing. Dark liquid sprayed everywhere and was washed away by the rain as he fended off the Heartless and gave Yuna time to get up and run.

" Thunder!" Lulu shouted, gesturing with her hand. A bolt of lighting came crashing down on a mass of Heartless following her and Wakka.

" Man, they won't let this up, will they?" I heard Wakka mutter as he threw his blitzball at one of those huge Neo-Shadows. Now the small Shadows and Soldiers were gone; only the Neo-Shadows remained. And why not? I have seen what they could do.

I heard Naminé yell; a Neo-Shadow had gashed her on the leg. Something dark dashed by and Riku slashed the offending Heartless in half. Then I saw one of her cards fly; the path before Tetsu and me was cleared.

" Get out of here!" This time it was Riku who was yelling. " We'll catch up to you! Run!"

We were moving; Tetsu had taken my demand to heart and we were running, not teleporting. I didn't have time to breathe; cold rain splattered on my face as he pulled me along the suddenly-empty street. Naminé had done well; the path to my house was clear-

A Neo-Shadow lunged, slashing Tetsu on the arm. He let go of me, pulled away, shouting at the pain. I tumbled to the cement, felt the cold, hard shock of it and jumped to my feet, as the Neo-Shadow circled me. Its round head was cocked to the side; its empty yellow eyes seemed to follow me wherever it went.

" Oh gods…" I whispered. Truth was, I had never fought a Heartless before; two years ago Sora, Donald, Goofy, Riku, and King Mickey, along with our friends from Traverse Town, were the ones fighting them. I was helpless.

But not anymore.

I summoned my staff and felt its comforting weight in my slippery hands. Giving it an expert spin, I lowered into a defensive stance, wondering how I'd fare against my first fight with a real Heartless.

Wait a minute; I had fought Riku. How hard could it be fighting a Neo-Shadow?

That question was answered when it melted into the ground. I stared. Holy-

It exploded right in front of my face, its claws reaching out for the place where my heart was beating-

" Oh no you don't!" I yelled, at the same time as someone else.

I swung my staff and it tore off the Heartless' head as the Oblivion sliced through its torso. The pieces tumbled onto the street, the black mess oozing as the rain continued to wash it all away. I stared, not quite believing what I had just seen, what I had just done, what I had just gone through.

_This_ was the Heartless. _This_ was what they could do. If they didn't get you, they left you feeling cold, like you'd never be happy again. Heartless…without a heart…

Someone took me by the arm, pushed me up the stairs to the porch. Habit kicked in; I automatically reached for my keys with my free hand and sought out the one I needed. The key was in; someone opened the door, pushed me in, and slammed the door behind me. The keys dropped to the floor; its metallic sound echoed in the far distance. I let my staff go; I barely heard it hit the floor.

Heartless. They were here, they were back. Not again, no, not again! They can't take me away from my home, not again. I promised to stay here, to wait here, to wait for the one person who might not come back.

" Kairi?" Someone was calling my name. " Kairi, are you okay?"

It sounded like Sora…

" Don't let them take me away," I whispered. I felt the water drop on the floor, felt so cold, so alone. " Don't let them take me away again…"

Not just water; I felt something warm and wet slide down my face. My own tears. My own fears.

Something came into view, dark and radiating heat. Arms wrapped around me, held me close.

" I won't," someone whispered into my ear. " I promise."

Promises…

I pressed my face into the dark warmth, tried to stifle my sobs. I was scared, so scared. They were back, the nightmares were back, and Sora wasn't there to help me.

" Sora…where are you?" I whispered. " Come back…come back…"

Feet ran up the stairs and the door suddenly burst open.

" Whoa! Am I interrupting something here or what?" I heard Tidus exclaim as he screeched to a stop, slipped, and fell on the floor.

For a moment I thought it was Riku; my heart pounded, wondering what he would think, seeing me like this.

I felt Tetsu push me away, trying to put distance between us. I tried to hold back my tears, wiping my face with my hands. I mustn't be seen crying!

" What happened?" Selphie and Wakka staggered in. Yuna and Lulu followed afterwards, gasping for air. I stared at them; all of my friends looked tousled and abused beyond belief. Scratches, bruises, cuts, they were all soaking wet, and rainwater pooled on my floor; blood mingled in with it.

" Wh-where's Riku?" I asked, fearing the worst. " Where's Riku? Naminé? Auron?"

" Someone called?" Auron suddenly appeared behind them, shoved them into my living room. " Don't block the doorway, especially at a time like this."

Following him was Riku, who was checking a gash on Naminé's left forearm. She was biting her lip, trying not to yelp as he tried to determine the depth of the wound. Crimson droplets were falling on the floor.

" By Yevon Himself…" Wakka groaned, collapsing on my couch. I winced, saw him sit up and the bloody stains he left behind.

" It'll only get harder," Lulu said quietly, sitting next to him and taking his arm. She began to check for anything serious. "Is this what you've been training us for, Auron? Is this really it?"

Our trainer was untouched; he didn't look extended at all, compared to the others. Well, besides Riku.

And speaking of Riku, he was staring at me. " Kairi, are you okay?"

I blinked. I wasn't? " Riku, what are you talking about?"

" There's…there's blood…"

I looked down on myself, saw blood down at the waist. Well, to top it all off, my blouse was ruined; life most certainly sucked. But where'd it come from? I wasn't touched; the Heartless never got near enough to even poke me.

" Sorry, that was me," Tetsu answered. He was trying to pull up the sleeve of his black shirt; I saw a fresh waterfall of blood fall on the floor. And them I remembered: the lone Neo-Shadow before my house had gashed him on the arm, forcing him to let me go.

" Are you okay? Does it hurt?" I asked, rushing to him. The Heartless, I knew that their nails were merciless; I've seen Sora gone through much worse before against their claws…

" Back off," he snapped, pulling his arm away. " I can handle this."

This stung. What a rude jerkhead! I stopped short and decided to simply stare. If he doesn't want help, so be it…or it'll be force-fed, as I knew someone who resorted to such methods at such times…

His face showed no emotion as he revealed three deep gouges on his upper arm. But his voice did. " Oh shit!"

" Here…" Auron strode forward, uncorking a bottle in his right hand; he had dismissed his sword.

" Hey, what are you going to do, old man?" he demanded testily. I quickly backed off, knowing full well what Auron was going to do.

Auron tossed the liquid onto his arm; the green fluid hissed as soon as it hit the gashes and he yelled.

" Fuck, what the hell was that for!"

" Hey, thank him; he just healed you," Yuna retorted angrily. She looked like she took a walk through a jungle but I could see she had already healed herself.

" I would if he had warned me beforehand!" Tetsu growled. I stared at his arm; where the green liquid hissed the wounds closed up, leaving behind only watery blood. I continued to stare; since when did he get those muscles-

" To business, shall we?" Naminé's voice broke through my mind and I blinked. " What business?"

" Ah, right…" Riku nodded, turning away. I suddenly realized he was watching me stare at Tetsu. " So, where do we start?"

" With him," Auron replied. He tucked away the half-empty bottle in his coat, then his right hand took hold of Tetsu's right shoulder. " Sit!"

He pushed him to my loveseat couch, the only one unoccupied by people, and shoved him into it. Tetsu scowled, started to rise, but one look from the older man was enough to keep him sitting.

" I've got some questions to ask you, Tetsu, so you'd better answer," Auron sat on the dark walnut table in the middle of the living room. I continued to stand, watching, looking at the others.

Lulu had done scanning Wakka over; they were sitting together on the big couch next to Yuna, who was helping an embarrassed Tidus heal the rest of his wounds. Selphie sat on the chair, with Naminé sitting on the left armrest. Riku was leaning on the chair on the other side, watching Auron and Tetsu grimly.

Funny, he hadn't really cracked a smile since Tetsu first showed up. Why? Or am I just being ignorant? But ignorant over what?

My feet were aching; all that running – and fighting – in school-issue shoes didn't do well for me. I inched over to the seat next to Tetsu and slowly sat down. Auron was watching me but soon he turned his attention back to Tetsu, who was glaring back coldly.

" How did you know the Heartless were here?"

I could hear the rain fall. So many bodies…and yet it was so quiet. I saw Riku look away, stare out the windows.

" They're after the last Princess of Heart after all. And from what I was able to gather…all they're missing is _her_. And without the Keyblade Master to stop this…Gathering…we're all at the mercy of the Darkness."

The past was back.


	7. Remember

**Author's Note:** Okay, Shirozora here acting like an ol' jackass again. One, I shouldn't be doing this; two, I got tempted into updating the next chapter; and three, I found a series of errors while scanning all the previous pages. That makes me a plain old fool and I apologize sincerely for that. In short, I should be doing my school homework right now because school started; I get caught and I'm dead and you'll never hear from me again. Which is why once again I have no way of answering your questions. You will have to e-mail me instead your questions or simply state them in the reviews and hope I remember well enough to recall those questions and answer them.

This chapter is the beginning of a series of recollections. Really sappy stuff so I don't know if you people are going to cry over your keyboards and render them useless. I'm not trying to be mean here! (reference: check my Bio)

And seriously, _Ave Maria_ is a powerful piece; thank the original Fantasia for influencing me with that.

Alas…that my dream of joining Square-Enix is but a dream…woe is me. I'll shut up now.

**Rain of Sorrow**

**Chapter 6: Remember**

In the end all that remained was the rain pitter-pattering against the windows.

Mostly they sat in thought. Some chose to stand, stretch their sore legs, and walk a bit, to wonder and contemplate. Some chose to latch onto their seats, wishing with all their heart that the television was working and they were all simply gathered at Kairi Hitoame's house for a movie night.

If only.

Auron took the couch formerly occupied by Tetsu and Kairi, who were both up and pacing, keeping their distance from each other and the rest of the world. Naminé kept twisting a lock of hair in her delicate fingers, looking more and more worried as the minutes ticked by. The others kept daring each other to say something, anything, except Riku, who stood before the windows and watched the rainwater slide down the glass and distort his view of the storming sea off the beach. Kairi stopped by, placing a hesitant hand on his arm.

" What is it?" Riku asked quietly, looking at the auburn-haired young woman.

Kairi looked away, unsure of why she was there. Her eyes caught black boots stop in their pacing and she shook her head. She hoped Riku could understand what her dilemma was right now.

Oh not _that_ dilemma! That was most certainly NOT on her mind tonight.

" So…" Wakka was the brave one to break the silence. " What do we do now?"

" That's what they always say…" Lulu murmured but nobody hushed her.

" Well, it looks like a couple of us are going to be dropping high school," Auron muttered, so fast it quite stunned the teenagers. It was like he already had the footwork laid out. " Not only that, I won't have to pay rent anymore."

Yuna looked at her guardian quickly. " You're going to leave?"

" Do I have a choice?" the man replied gruffly. He looked at Yuna kindly. " Don't worry, Yuna. I'll be fine."

" But what are we going to do?" Tidus demanded, rising to his feet. Tidus, always taking the affirmative action; so typical of him. " I mean, us group of high school seniors? What are we to do without you and…um…"

He looked at Kairi, understanding quite well what she had to do.

" Wait, Kairi's leaving Destiny Islands?" Riku came to life, stirred by the suggestion in the younger boy's words. " She's not leaving! The Universe isn't safe!"

" She hasn't got a choice, Riku," Naminé said softly. " Neither do we."

" Wait, what do you mean?" Tetsu had come alive as well. " You two are going with us?"

" You?" Riku was already bristling at the idea.

_Oh no_, Kairi realized. _This really isn't good._

" All four of you lot are coming with me," Auron stated sternly. " The rest of you are to stay here and hold the position. Don't budge, no matter what happens. This place _must_ be defended. I promised some people long ago…"

He wouldn't say more. Turning on his heels, he strode to another part of the first floor, clearly stating he wanted room to think.

Yuna sighed. " This is not good."

" Why's that?" Selphie asked curiously, twisting her nunchucks in her hands.

" What do you think?" Riku snorted. " We've got the Princess of Heart following us around while we look for Sora. Both of them attract Heartless so we're bound to-"

Tetsu cut him off. " Thanks for the tip. We stop by a world, get some supplies, and look for where the Heartless are. The more there are, the more likely it is that Sora will be there."

Kairi hemmed and hawed at this. It was a pretty ambiguous strategy – she really didn't like the way Riku referred to her as the Princess of Heart; he could've just called her the 'Heartless magnet' – but it was the only sensible way to find the lost Keyblade Master.

" I'd say we go to Disney Castle first," she suddenly found herself saying. " Ask King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy some questions, then go out there and look for Sora. And find the other Princesses of Heart…if possible."

It could be a lost cause; what if their hearts were already taken and all they needed was for a Heartless to rip her heart out of her body? What if the Heartless attack was a method for convincing them to go look for Sora and stray away from Destiny Islands? What if Tetsu was actually working for the Organization? What if the Organization had Sora? What if Sora's de-

" Auron's already a pretty good fighter, from what I could tell," Tetsu was musing. " We can guard the girls – assuming Naminé doesn't mind – and make our way around whatever worlds remain-"

" What about me?" Kairi demanded.

" What do you mean?" Everyone was suddenly on the alert, save Auron who clearly was out of earshot.

" Well, I went around the Universe for a bit looking for that bloke-" both Kairi and Riku twitched at this "- and what do I find but plenty of worlds vanishing. Sora was clearly not doing his job right or perhaps something indeed has gone wrong-"

" No, that's not possible," Kairi snapped. " I would've known it!"

A hand drifted to the place above her heart. It wasn't that she could sense that he was alive or dead; he was just…gone.

_His voice, I've lost it. Now I need to go out there and find out why._

She looked grimly at Tetsu. " He's NOT dead! We just need to find him and right every wrong there was committed while he – and some other people – were out for two years."

She desperately tried to avoid looking at Riku and Naminé as those words came out of her mouth.

" It's not our fault we can't recall anything," Riku began hotly. She winced; she could feel the hurt in his voice. " There were those two explosions, and everything went black!"

The blonde girl said nothing and only looked away; did she know something about this?

" Alright then," Tetsu decided. " We go to Disney Castle, ask around, then go to the other worlds. We ask where Sora is, what the Organization wants with Kairi and the rest of the girls known as the Princesses of Heart, and figure out why people suffer from amnesia. Is it just me or is everyone close to Sora forgetting things?"

Having ticked off the list rapidly, he gave pause to let others ponder the question.

" I haven't forgotten anything," Wakka countered. " Like meeting Lulu."

He flashed her a grin but she only rolled her eyes. Surprisingly, they _were_ a couple.

" I guess _we_ haven't forgotten anything," Selphie agreed. " Problem is, we aren't as involved in this as the rest of you people-"

" So are we back to square one?" Tidus demanded. " And what did Auron mean by 'hold the position'? What does he expect, an army?"

" Yes," came the unexpected answer from Yuna. She stood up, leaning on her staff and looking quite the leader she said she wasn't. " He wants the rest of us to remain here because the Heartless may come here even with Kairi gone. So we have to fight, those of us still here."

" Should tell that to Irvine…" Selphie mused. " He might not like it…you think we can get his dad to help us out?"

" Does he believe anything about the Heartless?" Naminé asked.

" Some people should," Kairi retorted. " You can only be truly stupid if you remain oblivious to what the skies have been telling us-"

" They're only portents of the future," Auron uttered, reappearing. He seemed set on something, a plan of sorts. " We're leaving in the evening. I want Kairi, Tetsu, Riku, and Naminé to meet me at the train station. By nine, we're out of here."

" Which train?" Tetsu asked.

" Line 6. Now everyone who shouldn't be here, scram! But here's my advice: don't spend too much on school. When life is threatened, who gets the better grades doesn't matter. Yuna, focus on what you learn from your magic classes. And someone call up Irvine-Selphie, brief him. You know him best. Riku, say goodbye to your parents; Naminé, I think it's better you come with me. Tetsu, guard Kairi. The Heartless are back and I don't want to lose her."

" You don't need to worry, old man," he shot back. " I got it all covered."

He gave Kairi a reassuring smile, something she hadn't expected from him.

" Can we trust you?" Riku demanded.

" The Keyblades don't choose what they don't trust," Auron answered. " Now knock it off, Riku. Let's go. And be careful, people. Remember everything I taught you. Once we leave this house, keep your senses on the alert or I swear…"

Reluctantly everyone rose to his or her feet. They had preferred staying in the house, where they felt they could face anything thrown at them and still stand. After all, power was greater with the masses. But under the grim stare of Auron and his dark spectacles, they had to disperse.

" Take care, Kairi," Selphie said half-heartedly; she didn't want to lose her friend again.

" Yes, take care," Tidus and Wakka nodded in agreement.

" Best of luck to you," Yuna smiled. " You'll find him, I'm sure."

Lulu gave a warning. " Don't stray or we'd be in real trouble."

She felt faint at this. What did Lulu mean?

They filed out, into the fiery rain. Auron still stood at the doorway, waiting for Riku and Naminé to leave as well. Naminé looked at Riku apprehensively; he seemed to be fighting himself over something.

" Riku…" Kairi whispered; she already knew. " It's alright; I'll be fine here. You can go."

Her silver-haired friend frowned, leaving her puzzled. " It's-it's not that…never mind. See you at the train station."

He turned and followed Naminé out the door, leaving Kairi to deal with both Tetsu and Auron. The latter looked bothered, as did some of the other people she knew.

" I wish I knew why this was happening," she heard him admit. " But I guess we'll have to ask His Majesty that…and your friends at Hollow Bastion. That's where we'll go next. You-" he looked pointedly at Tetsu, who shifted on his feet "-don't screw it. If she doesn't get to the train station safe and sound I will personally carve out your heart and feed it to the Heartless. Understand?"

Tetsu scowled at him. " I get it, old man. Don't need to say it twice."

" Hmmf!" Auron turned and shut the door behind him. Through the windows, Kairi saw him stride down the stairs and meet with Naminé and Riku. The three of them began to stride away, in the direction of Riku's home. Every so often, she saw Riku turn back and stare at her house, at her.

She felt Tetsu wander around the living room.

" Best change out of your clothes," she heard him say. " Unless you can fight wearing that."

She turned on him. " If you hadn't gone and broke the washing machine, I would be able to!"

" It's not my fault you didn't tell me what that thing was for," he replied evenly, his mouth a thin line.

" That goes to show how much of an idiot you are," she snapped, heading for the stairs. Tetsu stepped in front of her, though.

" If we're going to work together, I suggest you be…nice."

Kairi glared at him. She felt so tempted to summon her staff and knock him over one. Instead she held out a hand and shoved him aside. " Go away."

She proceeded to storm up the stairs, stomping as best as she could in her waterlogged shoes. Oh how she wanted to force some emotion into his face, grab him by the collar of his shirt, and shake him!

" If only he didn't break the damn machine," she muttered as she proceeded to lock the door into her room and shed her wet clothes, "then I'd have something more than uniforms!"

So saying, she forcibly convinced herself she could fight wearing a white blouse and a blue-plaid skirt while she put them on.

" After all, I was able to practice at Auron's place wearing these…" she sighed, sitting on her bed and pulling on a fresh pair of socks. Once she accomplished that task, she continued to sit on her bed. She then looked at the clock on the white side table next to her huge bed.

" Two more hours," she murmured. " Two more hours then…I'll be gone."

_Gone to find you, Sora_.

The reality of it suddenly hit her. " I'm leaving…I'm leaving home. I'll be leaving this place, maybe never to see it again. Gone to find…Sora. I'll finally be doing things, going places, finding our old friends, fighting the same enemies, all to find you…"

She pulled a huge white pillow to her and buried her face in it. "…can I do this? Can I do this, Sora? Can I face the dangers that come with it? We're all looking for you, Sora…maybe even the Heartless. Can we find you, help you, so that you can come home…again?"

She suddenly wasn't sure, didn't know if she could do this, leave the comforts of home and school – yes, school! – to journey to worlds out there in space and find the one person she had been waiting for so long.

" So far away…"

" Are you going to sit there forever or should we start moving?"

Kairi jumped, stifling a scream with her pillow. She whirled around, keeping the pillow in front of her, and saw Tetsu was sitting on her bed.

" How'd you get there?" she gasped, looking around wildly. All she saw was a locked door…and her pile of clothes on the floor. That included her undergarments.

Flushing, she tossed her pillow onto the pile and snagged the other pillow on her queen-sized bed. Huddling with that one, she glared at Tetsu.

" You were taking quite a long time, so I decided to teleport myself into your room to see what you were up to," he said calmly, not at all the least affected by the furious blushing on her face.

" What-what did you see?" she stammered, horrid thoughts crossing her mind.

" Not much," he frowned, unsure of her behavior. " However, you were blabbering continuously about leaving this shitty city and its damn rain, so I had to do something-"

" What's wrong with you?"

Silence. Tetsu had frozen, was staring at her. Kairi glared back, her blue-violet gaze boring into him and those blue eyes of his.

" What are you talking about?" he managed to shoot.

" All this anger, insensitivity, your utter lack of compassion, what's with you?" Kairi demanded. " I brought you here after you got hit by a car and picked up a fever on the way here and what do you do? You trash my house, eat through my cupboards, fight with my friend, and bring up some smart-ass remarks for everything I know and love. What kind of gratitude is that?"

Tetsu continued to watch her. His face was absolutely unreadable. " Gratitude? I don't know gratitude; my life's been a hellhole as far as I'm concerned. The only time it wasn't was when Cid helped me out for two months, but even then I lived a life on the run. I do not appreciate the way my life was handed to me; all my life I knew this wasn't me. I knew I didn't know myself. I _don't_ know who I am."

" Oh really?" she challenged. " Well, I'll tell you: you're a heartless jerk with a Keyblade I gave to my friend! I don't know how you came across it but that I gave to Sora! And once we find him, you have to give it to him."

" And what, leave me without a weapon?" Tetsu snorted at the thought. " I'm not a fool like you say I am, Kairi. I don't know the things you know but I know what you don't. So if you're going to tag along on this little adventure, you'd do well to listen to me and do what I tell you to do."

" And if I don't?"

He pulled himself up on the bed until he was right in front of her. She watched him apprehensively, propping up the pillow between them. What was he going to do; she doubt she could summon her staff in time.

" Do you really want to know?"

His question came out a bare whisper as he stared at her. She could see herself in his eyes…and the emotions behind them. He knew what was out there, he had gone through enough in the worlds out there alone but…there was something else in there, besides the fear, the anger, the experience. What was it?

She reached out, touched his face. All that remained was silence, besides his breathing and the beating of her heart. He didn't move away but stayed still as her fingers traced the contours of his face. As she slowly slid a finger down the bridge of his nose and brushed over his lips, an image formed in her mind…

_She touched his face, wanted to know if he was real, if he really was there, holding her in his arms._

" _Don't worry, Kairi," he whispered, placing his head on top of hers as her hand drifted to the place over his heart, beating under his black jacket. " I'm real, I'm here…"_

" _Sora…" she murmured and buried her face in him._

Kairi pulled back and abruptly turned away, taking a deep breath and trying to hold back her tears. Behind her she heard Tetsu shift, then the bed's surface rose. He unlocked and opened the door, then stepped outside and closed it.

Biting her lip, the auburn-haired girl felt a tear sliding down her face. She made a fist of her trembling hand, then promptly released and touched her bed. Why, why did she do that? She didn't know what he would do once she touched him, what would happen afterwards; she just felt compelled to see, to feel, to hope that maybe they didn't have to go look for Sora, that maybe he was sitting in her room, that he was _him_.

_But what if he wasn't?_ That little voice in the back of her head, the voice of doubt, nagged her._ If he wasn't Sora, then what? You'd have to go out there into the Universe to look for him, won't you? And now you've got to face him, after that little spectacle of yours. He'll think you're making a move on him…then what?_

" Shut up," she whispered, wiping her face with the pillow. " I don't want to hear you."

She lay down on her bed on her back, still hugging the pillow. She could feel the warmth of the other person who was here, the person who made her remember.

_Night at Disney Castle was beautiful. The stars that were saved, were restored, were still there winked at her; the moon's pale face cast a silvery light in the gardens and gave everything an ethereal glow._

" _It's so beautiful," she whispered, resting her head against his shoulder._

" _Yeah, beautiful…" Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him staring at her, not at all paying attention to the sky._

" _I was talking about the moon," she remarked and saw him flush with embarrassment. " Nights here are so beautiful."_

_He leaned over, whispered in her ear, " But not as beautiful as you."_

_She closed her eyes, blushing. It had taken only one year but the friendship they shared had grown, was budding into something more…_

" _Don't leave me, Sora," she murmured, wishing this one night would never end._

_His arm went around her shoulders and held her close._

" _I promise."_

''

Tetsu looked out the tall windows, watching the rain make a total debacle out of the beach to his left. It was so wild, so dark, so wondrous. The waves crashing against the wet sand reminded him none of the storied tropical seashores of Destiny Islands; he only saw the storming of the shores of the world he left in his search for Sora.

" So beautiful…" he whispered, pressing a hand against the pane. He felt the coldness cool his hot fingers and pressed his forehead against the window as well. " Wish I was here to see the sun…"

The other hand went and touched upon the trail left behind by her fingers. They rested briefly just above his mouth, then slid to the side and pressed against his heated cheek.

Why did that happen? Maybe that'll remain a mystery but he wasn't happy with his response to it. That explained why his black clothes suddenly felt stifling, despite the distinct rainy chill.

He sighed, let his eyes drift to his feet, and resigned himself with counting the veins in the wood-paneled floor…

…but her eyes burned in his mind. He knew what was in there, her hope, a glimmering candle in the dark. All around her was danger – manifested by the Heartless that materialized in the streets – and yet she still held hope of meeting the one with the key, the one who could end the nightmare.

" So faithful, so devoted, despite the years, despite the distance," he continued to say, his breath fogging the window. " He's so lucky to know such a girl."

Especially a beautiful and fiery one-

He closed his eyes, tried to recall his first memory, tried to block her out of his mind. He had done this so many times before, staring out of Cid's store, leaning against the windowpane and trying to recall his very first memory.

_Voices. There were voices around him. They bothered him._

" _The poor boy, how'd he get here?"_

" _Does he have a home? Does he live here?"_

" _He doesn't look like he's from around these parts?"_

" _Move aside, move aside! What's all this, eh…"_

He frowned. That wasn't what he wanted.

" _If all you remember is the day you first came here, boy, I suggest you keep searching. There's more in your brain than it'll let on but the more you look, the more you find."_

Cid's voice echoed in his mind. Cid, the bald mechanic with a talent for messing with spare parts and creating things, was his mentor for the months he stayed in that world.

_He looked down at the body, sprawled in a grotesque position in the puddle of water. He could barely see through the darkness the bloody stain that spread from it. _

_The trench coat under his arm, he turned away, not wanting to remember the look of surprise on the man's face when his key-shaped blade brought him down-_

The frown deepened. That was _one_ memory he didn't want to walk through. He didn't want to remember his murder of another human being, thank you very much.

But all that remained were the more recent memories. He flipped through them, bringing to mind all the faces, the pain of the impact with the car, the wetness of this world, the voices, and then paused in turning over another page.

_Her_.

Of all the faces, hers appeared most often. Then again, he had taken up residence in her house, refusing to budge because he didn't want to take his chances with the streets again. He saw her everyday. But there was something else-

_Sun. Endless sun, shining amongst the white clouds in the bright blue sky. Sun and the cry of birds._

He blinked. That was sudden; he never remembered a memory like that before. What the hell?

He looked up, tilted his head to give himself a better view of the world beyond the windows. Was it just him or was there a cluster of islands on the sea a distance away from the shore?

" What is that?" he wondered. He narrowed his eyes and made out a pier down the shore. Small wooden boats tossed in the violent sea; only the ropes tied around the poles kept the boats from floating away. He counted five. " I wonder…"

_Sun and the cry of birds. And the song of a waterfall._

''

An hour had passed. Kairi had passed into the blissful realm of deep sleep, in an endless sea of peaceful darkness-

" Hey."

_Sora's voice echoed into the endless abyss. She stirred._

" …S-Sora?"

" No," was the cross reply. " It's Tetsu. Wake up; I want to ask you something."

Night was shattered. So did the sudden hope.

" What do you want?" she asked crossly, covering her face with the pillow and turning on her side so that her back was in the direction of the voice.

" To ask you a question," was the patient reply.

" What question?"

" About the islands."

Destiny Islands? She sat up abruptly and turned to face him. " What do you want to know about the islands?"

Tetsu shrugged. He stood next to the bed, toyed with the white fabric of the blanket covering it. The other hand twitched in the pocket of his trench coat. He didn't meet her eye.

" I just want to know if you and your friends visit there."

Kairi stared at him, the question buzzing in her mind. When it finally made sense, she shook her head. " We used to but…after a while I stopped going there. Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka kept going…until the rains came. It's been a long time since then."

" Why'd you stop going there?" Tetsu asked curiously, slowly sitting on the bed and watching her.

" Because…" she stared down on the bed, tracing circles with her finger. " Because it reminded me too much…of him."

" You two used to play on the islands when you were little?"

" And Riku," she quickly added. " It was the three of us. Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka messed around with each other and the six of us played out on the beach, on Paupu Island-"

" I heard about the paupu fruit," he interrupted suddenly. " But I don't believe its story."

" Really? Well, let's hope Selphie never hears of it; she's a romantic and a sucker for stories like the one about the paupu fruit," Kairi said, now tracing a star on the blanket. Really, the words stung her. " And then there's…"

She stopped tracing the star. She saw Tetsu looking at her, saw the look of curiosity and worry in his face.

" And then there's what?"

His words were distant as something came to mind.

_She didn't know what she'd expect to find in the Secret Place. But she decided to go in there and recall the childhood days._

_Smiling, she traced over the doodles done in the dark slate by six young children ages ago. Ages? It seemed to be._

_The sun seeped through the roots of the great tree the Secret Place was under. She cast a look to her left; the door was there, untouched, unmoving. It was still ominous, despite its plain look._

_She continued to drift a hand through each of the chalked-in drawings, when something caught her eyes. She drew nearer, then dropped to her knees, staring._

_It was the old drawing she and Sora had done of each other. They were so crude but she could see him so clearly, could see herself in the thick white lines. And underneath Sora's head was…_

_Tears welled up as her hand drifted to her lips, trying to stifle a sob. Briefly she saw an image of Sora chalking in the paupu fruit, the hand that offered it to her; then it vanished, leaving her alone with a drawing that pierced her heart._

_When she was done, she turned and left. Etched into her mind forever was the old drawing and his hand offering her the paupu fruit. And her hand giving him the fruit as well._

_Everyday for a year she visited the Secret Place, sat in front of the drawing, and wondered what Sora was doing. At times she could feel his presence in her heart strongly; at other times she didn't know if he was there. And then came the meteors in the sky…_

" I didn't go back," she whispered, her eyes looking down at the blanket, looking beyond it. " I never went there again. After I left him in battle, I never went back to the Secret Place."

She looked up slowly, fearfully, at Tetsu, her eyes shining. " But I wish I could go there and see that drawing…one last time."

She then closed her eyes and looked away again, burying her face in the well-used pillow. She left Tetsu baffled; he didn't understand what in hell she was talking about. But he sure as hell knew what he could do. What he had to do.

" Come with me."

So saying, he stood up and held out a hand to her. She looked up slowly, her eyes red and her face tearstained.

" Wh-what?"

" Take my hand."

She looked at his outstretched hand, then up at his face. There was nothing suspicious in his expression, so she took it. He pulled her off the bed and onto her feet.

" Where are we going?" she asked, not knowing what was going on.

" Hold on."

" What?"

Suddenly the whole room darkened and the ground leaped out from under her feet. She clung to him with her other arm and yelped. Vaguely she felt his arm go around her as well as she felt herself continue to drop.

Her feet hit rough sand. Since the only things between her and the ground were socks, the landing stung and she staggered into Tetsu, knocking him over. They landed in a heap on the ground.

" Ow…" she head him groan. Where was he? She couldn't quite tell where was who and what was which; they landed somewhere quite dark. And out of her home.

She felt her back press into the ground. Reaching out, her knuckles brushed alongside small pebbles and rough sand, then banged against stone. She yelled.

" What, what did I do?" she heard Tetsu's voice yelling.

Stifling a curse, she continued to reach out with her bruised knuckles and touched…hair. She pulled back quickly and blinked in the darkness for a moment, heard only ragged breathing…then became aware of the ocean storming somewhere nearby.

" Someone get me a light…" Tetsu moaned. " Can't see shit…"

Kairi tried to get up and then realized that the warm weight on her wasn't the pillow she was holding onto only a few minutes ago.

Light suddenly flickered to her right; a hand was holding a ball of light. It grew stronger, casting out long arms of white…and revealed to her the Secret Place.

She gasped; this is where Tetsu brought her?

Turning her head, her gaze suddenly locked into blue eyes. _His_ eyes. She stared, her mind going blank.

" Sorry about that," Tetsu muttered, rolling off of her and rising to his feet quickly. He ran a hand through his hair, keeping the ball of light as far away from him as possible to hide the blush on his face.

Kairi sat up, embarrassed and confused at the same time. She looked around, saw the white drawings and graffiti on the stone walls. There were some new additions, too…

_Wakka likes Lulu!_

_Tidus likes Yuna!_

Those little exclamations cluttered all around the older drawings, along with lines crossing them out. Slowly, they stopped…except for three statements: two of 'Walla likes Lulu' and one of 'Tidus likes Yuna'. Other then that, the place was untouched…except-

" The Door," she whispered and staggered to her feet. " Ow…"

" Here." Tetsu withdrew shoes from his pocket – must be one big pocket – and held them out for her.

Eyeing him oddly, she took them and slipped them on. Then she walked – more like hobbled after the tangled landing – towards the door. She heard Tetsu following her, the light in his hand illuminating the path towards the door, the door that began it all.

Suddenly she didn't want to see the drawing, the image that taunted her, tortured her, kept her hope alive. She couldn't bear to face it again; that was why she never came back, after Sora told her to leave Disney Castle-

" Ah…" Tetsu had seen it. Kairi covered her face with her hands, couldn't bear to see the expression on his face.

She heard footsteps crunching through the roughage, felt a presence behind her. A hand rested on her trembling shoulder.

" You should take a look," his voice whispered. " Just once, before we go."

She shuddered, kept her eyes covered. Her very last memories of the Secret Place stung in her memories, provoking her, forcing her to recall the impossible-

Something gripped her wrist and pulled away her hand. She shielded her face with her other hand until that was taken away; she turned and buried herself into Tetsu's chest, tears forcing their way through her tightly closed eyes.

" I-I don't want to see it," she sobbed, trying to hold back the pain in her voice. " I can't…it hurts too much…"

" You need to," Tetsu said firmly and turned her around.

Her vision was blurry and she wiped her eyes with her hand, sniffing as well. Then she was able to see in the flickering light. Her reddened eyes widened.

" Oh!" she gasped and stumbled forward to the huge boulder, the only one untouched by all others hands. The one only she and Sora had marked.

The very last time she was here, she had slowly etched in the phrase "I love you"; she left soon afterwards to show both Sora and Riku what had become of their home. At that time Selphie, Wakka, and Tidus weren't there; they had been transported to Traverse Town, though soon after the barriers went up again, they forgot their experiences and carried on with life as it always did for them: normally.

Her eyes scanned through the long-lost art of innocence; the horrendous drawings that represented Sora and herself. They drifted to the paupu fruits they gave each other, then reluctantly drifted upwards to where she wrote that…phrase.

For right below it someone had written, " I love you, too. Remember me."

She slowly touched the cold surface, the hardscrabble handwriting she knew well. Did-did he…?

" _Come on, Sora, we have to go!" Riku shouted as he neared the gummi ship. A violent unnatural storm was nearly upon Destiny Islands and the winds were whipping up._

" _Hold on a second!" Sora shouted as he headed for what she could only deduce to be the Secret Place. " Get Kairi in the gummi ship!"_

" _Let's go." Riku grabbed her by the arm and guided her to their ship, the one Sora, Donald, and Goofy had used to travel the Universe looking for the Door of Light, King Mickey, and Riku. She looked back, her heart dropping at a million miles-per-hour. He was going to notice the paupu fruits, no doubt about it! " Don't worry, he can take care of himself. He'll be along in a few minutes."_

_She didn't notice the reluctant sadness in his voice; she only saw Sora vanish into the Secret Place. But why? Who'd want to go near that horrid door?_

" Did he know…?" she whispered, falling to her knees. The tears were coming again. " Did he know he wasn't coming back? Were those promises empty?"

Her heart beat painfully. The voice of doubt overruled her loyalty to her friend, gave voice to the aching heart in its death throes.

" No, perhaps not," Tetsu said quietly, approaching her. " But he knew something terrible was going to happen. Did it?"

She shook her head violently, tears spraying. " That's-that's not it! Stop it, Tetsu, stop it!"

She rose to her feet and turned on him, looking furious. " Why did you have to bring me here? Why'd you make me remember? Do you have any idea how much it hurts? Do you have any idea how empty my heart feels, waiting day after day, hoping that one day I'll look down at the beach and see him waving to me from the pier? Do…you have…any idea…"

She couldn't continue her barrage, tried to forget the last horrid moments before she left Sora, couldn't stop crying. Vaguely she felt Tetsu step forward and slowly, hesitantly, embrace her. She leaned against him, couldn't stand on her feet by herself anymore.

" I…I'm sorry."

''

" What's taking them so long?" Auron grumbled, glaring at the huge clock face over the ticket booth. It was three minutes to nine; everyone had learned Auron wanted them at least ten minutes early.

" Maybe something happened," Naminé dared suggest. " Maybe they got held up on the way here-"

" Tetsu wouldn't do that," Riku interrupted, earning a puzzled look from the person he just interrupted. " He's not the type to take long; he'd have used that crazy teleportation method…and scared the crap out of Kairi."

His voice hardened slightly at the last part.

" Tetsu's also not a fool; you don't need to worry about Kairi," Auron said. He then eyed above his sunglasses the few others who made it through the rain to the train station. He seemed to be on the look out for anyone who looked remotely suspicious. " But I _do_ want to know why they're taking so long."

One minute to nine…

Riku brushed at his black trench coat absentmindedly and adjusted the dark sunglasses he wore in all weathers. Naminé, looking quite vibrant in her peach jacket over her light yellow shirt and white capri pants, looked at him worriedly. She had in her keeping her sketchbook but apparently lacked a spark of inspiration. Or the gloomy weather could be dampening her mood; who really knows?

" Maybe I should go and see what's up…" she heard Riku mutter to himself.

_Poor Riku_, she thought sadly. _He can't help it but worry after Kairi like he loves her. Literally. Her heart's to Sora, though; he just won't deny it. I just wish he noticed more than just Kairi, just the Heartless…_

" Finally!" she heard Auron exclaim and looked up.

It was exactly nine.

From the opposite end of the train station Kairi and Tetsu strode towards them, her in a _dry_ school uniform and him in his trench coat. It looked like nothing remotely dangerous happened, though Kairi kept her eyes down on the ground as they neared the other three.

Come to think of it, maybe something _did_ happen…

" Kairi!" Riku jogged forward and greeted her. " Are you alright?"

She didn't answer, only nodded. Her bangs shrouded her face, kept away curious eyes. Tetsu stood a little ways, ignoring the exchange. Auron was glaring at him.

" What took you so long?"

Tetsu eyed the clock behind the man. " It's nine. You told us to come at nine. If you wanted us to come earlier, you should've said so."

Auron nodded in the direction of Kairi. " She didn't tell you?"

The younger man hemmed and hawed at this. " That's a very good question…no."

" What happened?"

" Nothing that concerns you."

Auron raised an eye at this. Riku turned and looked at him. Naminé prodded him on the shoulder, though, in a successful attempt to shut him up.

" Train's here in ten seconds; here's the tickets."

In his free hand he produced five train tickets. Tetsu took one and looked at what it read: _Destination: Disney Castle. Departure From: Destiny Islands Train Station. Train: Line 6. Time at Departure: 9:01 PM. Time at Arrival: 8:01 AM. Note: Due to outer world threat, be prepared to leave the train through emergency exits at all times. Bring only what you need. If you are seated near the emergency exits and are in any way unable to help train staff guide passengers out of the train (i.e. have more than one child age 15 and younger, pregnant, mentally handicapped, physically handicapped) please ask attendant to reseat you. Thank you_.

Tetsu turned the ticket over and read the most disturbing line ever. It might have been printed there as a joke…or a warning: _Board at your own risk_.

Apparently Riku and Naminé also spotted the line.

" What the hell's this?" Riku demanded, flipping the ticket over several times and re-reading the lines. " Is this a joke?"

" Maybe if you read between the lines…" Naminé said slowly.

Auron only hmmf'ed and handed a ticket to Kairi. " Here…"

A whistle shattered the brief, rainy silence that followed. Most of the other would-be passengers continued to sit; they were not headed for Disney Castle like the suspicious group of one adult and four teenagers were. Most others stared at them curiously; some simply propped up the _Daily Island_ to read yet another article on the weather.

" The train…" Kairi whispered, looking up. Riku widened his eyes, startled. Her eyes were red from crying but they were dry. " It's here. Riku, we're leaving…"

He didn't know what had happened during the trio's stay at Disney Castle two years ago but he understood her immediately. " It's alright, Kairi. I'm here; I promise it won't take long."

Naminé remained silent, though Tetsu saw her sighing sadly and turning away, clutching the sketchbook to her chest.

Auron suddenly cleared his throat and all four teenagers jumped.

" I suggest we actually _board_ the train," Auron suggested, as the white train with gold and blue trim and design sat…rather cheerfully. It was obviously waiting for them to board, along with the couple at the far end who were entering the velvet compartment.

Silently they filed into the 'Economy' compartment, which wasn't all that bad, considering the carpets were red with royal blue curtains for the windows the seats were next to. There was gilt designs all over the walls, swirls, crowns, and Mickey's head. Kairi slowly reached out and touched one of the small heads; the Silver Key came to mind.

" Where are we seating?" Riku wondered, mostly at the emptiness of the train. There were people sitting in the compartment – obviously from other worlds – and they were all sitting far apart from each other.

" Well, whatever we do, the train's going to move and quick," Auron said, looking at his ticket and striding down the wide lane in the middle. " And…I sit here."

He pointed to the golden number 87 above one of the seats. " I bought a cluster; you four spread out around here. If anyone tries to get you to move, tell the bastard you're with me and there's nothing he or she can do about it."

Kairi smiled at the serious tone in her mentor's voice. She chose a seat two rows behind him, next to the window. Since the rows came in seats of two on either side of the aisle, she wondered who'd be sitting next to her. She hoped it would be Tetsu; despite the brutal fact he made her recall painful memories she wanted to know more about him, find out who he was.

Maybe the strange man ran along the same train of thought; he almost hesitated but chose to sit next to her. He smirked as Riku chose a seat on the other side, one row up; the silver-haired legend had the unhappiest look on his face. Naminé sat two rows down from him; Tetsu found it odd that the two kept their distance, given what he's been able to surmise so far…

The train lurched, groaned, then the engine went into action. Line 6, Destination Disney, slowly but surely began to pull out of Destiny Island's train station, and out into space. Kairi pressed her head against the window, watching as the world began to flash by; the train was picking up speed, pulling her away even faster from her home.

_I wonder if I'll ever come back_, she thought sadly. It would be three times she'd be leaving Destiny Islands and each time it was because of the Heartless. Hopefully the third time's the charm; hopefully she and her friends would find Sora, open the Door of Light, and end the nightmare.

A radio in the train was playing classics; she closed her eyes as a forgiving piece flowed through the chilled air.

_Ave Maria…_

_Gratia plena_

_Maria, gratia plena_

_Maria, gratia plena_

_Ave, ave dominus_

_Dominus tecum_

_Benedicta tu in mulieribus_

_Et benedictus_

_Et benedictus fructus ventris_

_Ventris tuae, Jesus_

_Ave Maria…_

_(Hail Maria_

_Full of grace_

_Maria, full of grace_

_Maria, full of grace_

_Hail, Hail Lord_

_The Lord is with thee_

_Blessed art thou among women_

_And blessed is_

_And blessed is the fruit of they your womb_

_Of thy womb, Jesus_

_Hail Maria, full of grace)_

She shivered. It seemed the people taking care of the train did not know of Destiny Islands' weather situation; then again, she didn't bring a jacket. She wasn't exactly in her right mind and things happened before Tetsu teleported the two of them to the train station…

She heard soft sounds next to her and then something heavy and warm rested around her shoulders. She reached out, felt leather and soft fabric.

" Thank you," she whispered, pulled the trench coat more firmly around her, before the music and the quiet hum of the train engine brought sleep to her mind.

_Ave Maria…_

_Mater Dei_

_Ora pro nobis peccatoribus_

_Ora pro nobis_

_Ora, ora pro nobis peccatoribus_

_Nunc et in hora mortis_

_Et in hora mortis nostrae_

_Et in hora mortis nostrae_

_Et in hora mortis nostrae_

_Ave Maria…_

_(Hail Maria_

_Mother of God_

_Pray for us sinners now_

_Pray for us_

_Pray, pray for us sinners now_

_Now and at the hour of death_

_And at the hour of our death_

_And at the hour of our death_

_And at the hour of our death_

_Hail Maria)_


	8. Memories and Solace

**Author's Note: If you haven't looked at Chapter 69 of Kingdom Hearts: Secrets of Memories or Chapter 9 of Song of the Blue Moon, this will be my final announcement. I will not make one for Best Deceptions because I haven't gotten to the real first chapter yet. I am no longer legally able to upload or write my fanfictions until 2006 summer. 2005 winter I will be playing Kingdom Hearts 2 so don't even THINK about it. My parents believe writing is taking up too much time, hence the ultimatum: writing or the laptop. Give up one and keep the other. Therefore, this is done illegally. Like right now. I'm sorry.**

**Sorasgirl333:** Tetsu's trying to be nice. After all, Kairi did let him stay at her house even though he was starting to remind her constantly of Sora and her memories of him. Let us see what this chapter has to say about her memories. During their stay at Disney, Kairi will recall her last memories of Sora. And not all of them are happy. Bring out the tissues!

**RuinsofTikal**: I find sad stuff quite easy to write, easier than violence and mushiness. Must be all those damn Korean dramas. But that was my purpose with that chapter; memories, once again, will play a part in the search for Sora. Sora, where are you!

**Sweet Raine**: I'm…glad my story rocks monkey butts…you sound like my friend, lol. Here's the update but what happens after…at least I'm still caught up in this story and writing things secretly…

**AnimeGamer10**: Try the Ave Maria Remixes! They're the greatest; the best one has yet to be found, though T.T I can't find it! I thought Ave Maria had some emotional power to it, given the haunting lyrics. Ignore the religiosity; the song is only there for the mood and the essence, not the meaning of the lyrics. But translations are always welcome, don't you think?

This chapter will display poetry I was required to dissect in the tenth grade. See what you can make of them; almost all the poems share the theme of "loss of innocence; innocence to experience." Seriously, try figuring out what's the innocence and what's the experience and what's so corruptive. These poems will play a role, believe me. And I strongly recommend you pay attention to them; these poems will play a more serious role in real life, not just this story.

Now that's done with, here's the next chapter. Once again I dabble into POVs and I hope this one's better than the other one. Let's see what you make of it.

**Rain of Sorrow**

**Chapter 7: Memories and Solace**

The gray airship groaned as it rose up into the air and turned so its nose pointed to the stars, invisible in the sun's bright rays. Within seconds it disappeared but the people bidding it farewell still stood there, with one still waving in lopsided fashion.

" You palooka, they're gone!" snapped the short, bottle-shaped figure.

" Oh…hyuk!" the tall slouching person hiccupped. " I knew that!"

The other three laughed. The joyous sounds were short-lived, as the somber tension fell upon the five members of the farewell party.

" What do we do now? That meeting got us nowhere," Queen Minnie sighed.

" Yes, and we've still no word of Valentine," Lady Daisy nodded.

" And no word of Auron, too!" Goofy, Captain of the Disney Royal Knights, hiccupped again.

" Oh go get a glass of water," Donald, Court Wizard, muttered. Then he answered the queen's question. " We have to keep looking for Valentine, keep asking for whereabouts about-"

" What bothers me is that Auron's been awfully quiet since he first left with Yuna ben-Braska," King Mickey admitted. He tugged at his royal, and very colorful, suit. " We get the occasional message, an update on Kairi, but other then that, nothing. I wonder what's keeping the man busy-"

As they walked into the west gardens of Disney Castle, the one not under Lady Daisy's fanatically perfectionist hands, they heard furious barking, followed by a yellow bullet speeding towards the short king in front.

" Pluto?" Donald wondered as the yellow dog screeched to a stop. He was holding a piece of paper in his mouth.

King Mickey bent down and took the paper. Opening it up, he scanned the contents. For a moment, he looked baffled, then a surprised look came over his face.

" What is it?" Queen Minnie asked curiously.

" It's a record of train ticket purchases."

Lady Daisy scratched her head. " And why's that important?"

Goofy looked over his king's shoulder. " A-hyuk, it's Auron! He's coming on Line 6!"

" What?" Donald squalled. " Line 6? When's that arriving?"

" Der…he's bought five tickets and the train's coming…in one minute," Goofy said, scratching his head and looking at the watch on his wrist.

" Five tickets?" Lady Daisy mused. " What could that mean? Who's he bringing with him?"

" Well, let's go find out, shall we?" King Mickey suggested, turning on his heels and heading for the north end of Disney Castle, where the gates were.

" Finally something's happening!" Chip and Dale exclaimed as they saw the royal contingent head for the North Gate from the window of the gummi garage.

" Indeed, something is…" Behind them Merlin nodded, then turned to head for the library. He had a feeling important guests were coming and he should be ready.

""

The train was slowing. Kairi looked out the window, daring herself to eye the noble white castle rising above the hedges, trees, and gleaming white walls. The bastion glistened in noble light, shining in the sun. It had been long since she had seen such blue skies.

" _This_ is morning?" she heard Tetsu mutter beside her.

" Welcome to Disney," Riku retorted from his seat further back. He was obviously grumpy; he had fallen asleep in an awkward position and woke up with a cramp in his neck.

" Yes, welcome," Naminé murmured, barely audible. She had turned to her sketchbook for comfort as the hours stretched on and the train marched onward towards Disney Castle. From what Kairi had counted, the blonde teenager had drawn five images and each one very meticulously. She was now on her sixth and she had started an hour ago.

Auron shifted in his seat two rows front. He had been dozing on and off but was always on the alert, even leaping up to his feet when an attendant, pushing a cart full of condiments, stumbled and caused a whole mess of things several hours into the ride. The two passengers in front had helped the poor young man and he was off pushing along a cart filled with noticeably less objects for consumption.

" Does His Majesty know we're coming?" Riku suddenly asked as the train station of Disney Castle came into view. Kairi eyed its beautiful architecture, the gilt swirls and the marble body. There seemed to be people waiting for the train…or for the people within.

She narrowed her eyes. Was the sunlight and distance deceiving her or was that Pluto?

" Maybe," was Auron's vague answer. " Maybe not. We'll see."

The train was definitely slowing down; they were pulling into the train station.

" I must be going blind or that's Pluto," Naminé gasped, rising in her seat. " He's always there!"

" What, you named a mutt who inhabits the train station?" Tetsu muttered, not quite understanding it.

" No, he's His Majesty's dog," Kairi corrected hotly. " And he's always there when you need him."

The train lurched into the train station and came to a smooth stop. Only Pluto was there to greet the five voyagers from Destiny Islands.

" Well, make do with what greeting party you've got," Auron grumbled, rising and stepping into the aisle. " Don't just stand."

He turned and strode for the exit down the aisle. The others looked at each other, shrugging. Naminé stepped out and was quickly followed by Tetsu, Kairi, and Riku.

Kairi hesitated before stepping out of the train. Riku knew what was going through her mind and said, " We won't be here long, Kairi. Relax."

She nodded slowly, though she knew he'd never understand. He didn't know the things that happened while the they were here two years ago.

Naminé stopped next to Auron; he was watching Pluto, who sat at the man's feet and grinned. His whip-like black tail thwacked the marble floor joyously. Behind the five, the three other passengers in their compartment filed out; they were murmuring to each other and pointing out the fabled dog of His Majesty King Mickey of Disney Castle.

" It's like they've never seen a dog before," Tetsu grumbled and strode past Auron, heading for what obviously looked like the exit. He stopped though, when Pluto bounded in front of him and wagged his tail furiously. The man scowled at him. " Shoo. Go away."

Pluto only tilted his head to one side; either he didn't understand Tetsu or he was wondering why he was being told that.

Kairi giggled as she and Riku joined Auron and Naminé. The latter two were watching Tetsu glare at Pluto with some amusement; maybe Auron just liked toying with the younger man.

" It's not funny," Tetsu growled at her, then sidestepped the dog. Pluto simply backed up and sat at his feet again, preventing him from moving forward.

" What's with you?" he muttered, while the other four approached him. He didn't seem to notice the person in front of him until someone with an…odd voice cleared its throat.

" Hello, Donald," Riku grinned as they joined Tetsu. " How are you?"

Kairi smiled at the magician, who was busy wondering who the hell Tetsu was.

" Oh, that's-"

Tetsu looked up and found himself staring at a white duck wearing a hat, a cape, a shirt, and carrying a staff. The skeptical look in its face turned to one of curiosity and wonder.

" Sora?"

_Here we go again_, Kairi thought. _Another person making a mistake and regretting it forever after_.

Tetsu grimaced. " If I was Sora, I wouldn't be here looking for him, would I?"

" Who are you then?" Donald demanded. " And why are you with them?"

He nodded in the direction of Kairi, Riku, Naminé, and Auron.

" He's with us," Auron said quietly, before Tetsu could say something to further fuel Donald's temper. " Kairi met him. Name's Tetsu."

" Tetsu, eh?" Donald eyed the man from head to toe. He looked more frustrated by the minute but that was left unquestioned. " And what's his business here?"

" He said he was looking for Sora," Auron continued.

Donald blinked. " Sora? Why-wait, you're all going out to look for him?"

" Uh oh," Riku muttered.

" Why didn't you say so? You could've sent us a message before you came here, Auron!" Donald squalled, jumping up and down angrily. Tetsu backed up quickly, unsure of what to do with such a hot-tempered duck. " We got so confused when we got the records! You coming here with four other people, of all things! The King and Queen and the Lady are off making last-minute preparations, thanks to you! You know better than-"

" I don't care much for royalty, Donald," Auron interrupted, walking past the fuming duck. " I only care for doing things right and precisely when things need to be done. Come."

The man in the red coat strode towards the exit. The others looked after him, except for Pluto who was still grinning at Tetsu.

" This is going to be…interesting," Naminé said uncertainly as she followed the taller man.

Donald grumbled some more as he looked at Tetsu. Tetsu returned the glare.

" Guys, stop it," Kairi sighed. " Let's go; we can't keep His Majesty waiting."

She had said the magic words. Donald nodded and was off, waddling to Auron to wring out more information. Riku scratched his head, looking from Tetsu to Donald.

" That's Donald, the Court Magician," Kairi offered to explain as they left the train station and walked down the long cobblestone road towards the towering gates of Disney Castle. " He and Goofy, Captain of the Disney Royal Knights, left Disney four years ago to look for King Mickey, who disappeared one day. He left them a message warning them of war, Heartless, and someone with the 'key' to stopping them. They went out to look for the key and met Sora. They've been together since then…until things happened two years ago."

" Hm…" Tetsu nodded. " What did they do, basically? The three of them, I mean."

" Fight Heartless, seal world hearts, save the Princesses of Heart from the Heartless and the Organization, fight Ansem, fight _me_, look for me and King Mickey, and every single tough thing you can imagine when you haven't been home for two years," Riku answered, ticking off an impressive albeit saddening list. " And in the end…nothing. It was all for nothing. Now we're back to square one…with some baffling situations."

" And I'm guessing that's why all five of us are on some road trip to find Kairi's Sora and rescue the Universe from the Heartless, huh?"

Kairi turned pink at the mere mention of Sora but said nothing more as the great gates of Disney loomed into view.

" Too long…" Riku murmured as they joined Auron, Naminé, and Donald.

_Yes_, Kairi agreed. _It's been too long._

All that played in her mind, as the gilt double doors groaned open, was the moment when she first arrived at Disney Castle.

_King Mickey had stopped a little distance from the awe-striking golden doors. Kairi hesitated for a moment, wondering why he didn't continue walking with her. The king simply shook his head and gestured her forward. It was clear: he wanted her to make the rest of the journey to Disney Castle alone. Why?_

_True she had heard Sora and Riku had reunited at the great white castle a few days before. All they really needed was her to complete the triangle. But she was afraid, afraid of what she'll see. _

Why should I be afraid?_ she asked herself as she came closer to the doors. _Why am I so afraid of what I'll see, who I'll meet? Haven't I been waiting for a year now?

_Her train of thought suddenly came to a screeching halt as her mind registered someone standing several meters in front of the door. She also stopped walking a good distance from the door. That someone had not noticed her yet, was kicking at the ground, was obviously bored…or nervous._

_He was staring at the cobblestone, his hands in his black shorts. He was wearing a black jacket over a dark blue shirt with a red pocket in front, Yellow belts crossed over his black shorts and kept a red pouch on either side in position. She could see he was wearing black gloves; even his shoes were black. The crown necklace that she had given to him years ago – it seemed like forever – dangled from his neck, glistening in the sun. His hair, crazier and sunburnt, stuck out but fit well with his new, darker, more rugged outlook. Not only that, she could see well-defined muscles in his arms, his calves, and under his rather tight shirt; that was not something she had noticed a year ago…if she ever noticed at all._

_She looked over her shoulder, wondered if King Mickey was still there. The mouse king was gone. They were all alone._

_She turned back and wondered what she should say. After all the long days of waiting and wondering, she found herself suddenly tongue-tied, even a little bit frightened._

_Then he looked up and slowly turned his head, looked at her straight in the eye. The bold blue gaze pierced her mind and began to seal the hole in her heart, the hole that had grown large with time and distance. His slight frown turned into an uncertain smile._

" _Kairi?" he whispered._

_His voice drifted in the air, echoed in her ears, in her mind. Deeper, without the childish naivety, it made her shiver involuntarily, weakened her. It took all her willpower just to nod._

_The smile grew wider, into the goofy grin she had known from childhood. Perhaps the black-clad stranger still retained that bit of Sora in him, the part she never wanted changed._

" _Yes, Sora?" she murmured back, embarrassed. She had involuntarily checked out her childhood friend and now had to deal with not only the fact that they had finally met but also strange, queasy feelings that were rising in her, emotions that she never had before._

" _It's…it's you," he said quietly._

" _I-I could say the same."_

_Silence. A slow breeze rustled through the trees lining the tall walls, tossed her long red hair about. She raised a hand and pushed the strands behind her ear, felt his eyes on her the whole way. It felt…strange. After all those months, weeks, days waiting for him to come home everything felt so weird. How times changed them._

_Sora suddenly flushed and looked away, scratching his head. " Um…well…great…now what do we do?"_

_She had a weak smile on her face as she willed herself to start walking towards him. " I don't know…"_

_She stopped a foot from him. They stared at each other, studied themselves in each other's eyes. _

" _Heh…well, this wasn't what I expected…" Sora grinned sheepishly, scratching his head again. It was an age-old habit that began when he didn't know what to do when caught in a situation he didn't exactly want to face._

_Kairi couldn't help but smile at him. The friend she had known forever twinkled in those wondrous blue eyes of his. And then all the dams in her broke._

_It seemed like years, it had been so long since he last held her in his arms. She didn't know what to expect when she hugged him; she only hoped something like that would come out of it._

" _It's been so long…" she sobbed into his black jacket. " So long…"_

_Slowly he wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him, close enough so she could hear his heart beating under his shirt, the heart that held hers so long ago._

_Slowly she looked up at the face that looked down on her with a softer smile. Her hand reached out and she touched his face, following the contours. She wanted to know, just had to know, if this was more than just a mere dream, if he really was there, holding her in his arms._

" _Don't worry, Kairi," he whispered. He placed his head on top of hers as her hand slid down to the place above his heart. " I'm real, I'm here…"_

" _Sora…" she murmured and buried her face into his jacket, took a deep breath and smelled _him_. He was real, he was alive, and he was here._

_He came back to her, like he said he would._

" Kairi? Kairi?"

A voice echoed in her mind, the voice that linked her to the past she had hidden away for two years.

" Kairi? Kairi, are you okay?"

Strange, the voice sound concerned. She expected something less worried.

" Kairi, snap out of it!"

Kairi blinked and she suddenly realized where they were: the grand hall. They had passed through the gates, went up the stairs, and into the castle without her realizing it.

" What happened?" she asked, rather dazed, but with enough sense to turn to question the others with her.

Auron, Naminé, and Donald were eyeing her oddly. Tetsu was looking extremely concerned and Riku…looked emotionless, though she could see his light blue eyes were lost in thought. Pluto, who seemed glued to Tetsu, was looking at her with sad curiosity.

" We're in the castle; can't have the Princess of Heart wander around daydreaming now, can we?" Donald said as lopsided footsteps echoed down the grand hall. From one of the many hallways branching from the grand hall came that loyal, goofy knight…Goofy.

" Huyuk, hiya! Hey, Donald, Daisy was…was…" Goofy slowed to a stop, his mouth stopping as well. His eyes were locked on Tetsu, who was beginning to squirm.

" Der…Sora?"

Kairi felt the strange urge to laugh, despite feeling the last echoes of the painful memory at the gates of Disney Castle.

" Yes!" Tetsu snapped. " You know what, why don't I make life easier for everyone and CHANGE my name to Sora, huh? Isn't that a better idea than running around looking for him while everybody else thinks I'm him!"

" Oh…uh…okay," Goofy stuttered, not quite expecting that sort of answer. " Well, if you're not Sora, then who are you?"

" Tetsu, the end of the story," he muttered.

Auron glared at him. " Show some respect. Here, he's got actual ranking."

" So I've noticed," Tetsu snorted, eyeing the lopsided steel helmet and the clumsily buckled armor on the knight. " So you're the knight captain here, eh?"

" I am?" Goofy asked, looking puzzled. Then he realized what Tetsu was saying. " Oh, yes, I am. I am Goofy, Captain of the Disney Royal Knights. Nice ter meet ya!"

He held out his hand and smiled cheerfully. When the seconds ticked by and he realized he wasn't getting a handshake, he slowly withdrew his hand and jammed them both into his pockets. He then gave Tetsu his infamous 'sad' face.

The man scowled in return. " Look, I'm here for business so don't waste my time-"

" Does the King want us?" Donald interrupted, making for what looked to be the throne room at the far end of the grand hall.

" In the study, though," Goofy replied, scratching whatever part of his head was revealed by the tilting helmet. " Dunno why he wants us there…"

" Well, then, show us the way and we'll go," Auron said gruffly, stepping forward. Nodding, Goofy turned on his heels and loped off, Donald following soon after.

Kairi hung back; she wanted to say some choice words to Tetsu.

" What was that for?" she demanded, falling in step with the darkly dressed man as they followed the others down a hall to the left.

" I don't know what you're talking about," he miffed, not wanting to deal with her at the moment. His blue eyes were studying the castle and it's inside décor as they passed by statues and paintings but Kairi's voice distracted him.

" You know just as well as I do what I'm talking about," she snapped in a rather hushed voice; all the white, gold, and royal blue surrounding them were intimidating her. " Your little attitude problems with Donald and Goofy!"

" I don't know them; why should I treat them like I've known them my whole life? They're just strangers to me."

" Well I know someone who never knew them his whole life but he's best friends with them! Can't you be at least a bit courteous?"

Tetsu really couldn't get what she was talking about. " Courteous? How can you be courteous to a duck who's gone in seconds like a short fuse and some dog-monster who doesn't know his head from his toes?"

Kairi froze, stared at him in horror. He continued to follow the others until he realized she wasn't following him and turned around.

_Slap!_

He stumbled backwards, raising a hand to the stinging on his left cheek. She glared daggers at him, wanted him to drop down dead.

" You are so ridiculous!" she hissed and stormed past him, running to catch up with the others and leaving him to lose himself in thought.

''

Tetsu was still following them, though he kept far away from her. Every now and then she cast a sideways look and saw him lost in his own thoughts, staring at his feet and avoiding looking anyone in the eye. His hand continued to touch the left side of his face. She regretted her action but still…

_How could he be so heartless? He doesn't even know why I was so mad at him_, Kairi thought sadly and with some anger. _It's like he was raised by robots, not humans._

" We're here," Goofy exclaimed, coming to a sudden stop before double doors carved of walnut. After the entourage stopped, he stepped to the door, cleared his throat, and began a complex series of taps and knocks on the door. Rolling his eyes, Donald stepped forward, poked his friend aside, and called out, " Your Majesty?"

Someone moved behind the doors and a voice she knew well called out, " You may come in."

Donald eyed Goofy, who stood there humming to himself and nodding in tune to the song. He jerked his head towards the door but the knight still stood oblivious. It was only when Donald smacked him on the head with his staff that Goofy came back to reality, exclaimed, " Oh!", and hurriedly opened the door. He then gave a bow and Auron stepped in, followed immediately by Donald, Riku, Naminé, and Kairi. She looked back, saw that Tetsu was reluctant to face the king of this castle, but finally decided to follow her once Goofy looked at him and nodded towards the room within.

Kairi had been here to the king's study several times before, when those central to Sora and King Mickey gathered to discuss the Door of Light, the silence of the Organization, and the strange door that Merlin had discovered in the basement with the light of the world.

_Riku would be standing at the window, staring out into the sunny world of Disney World. King Mickey would be pacing in front of his marble desk, deep in thought. Donald would be flipping through books in His Majesty's bookshelves, searching for topics relevant to their discussion. Goofy would have occupied the whole of one of the large couches surrounding the coffee table, snoring and not realizing it. Queen Minnie would be sitting prim at the end closer to the doors, watching her husband solemnly. Lady Daisy would be by the door, waiting for any messages brought by either Pluto, Merlin, Chip, or Dale. Sora would be sitting on the couch opposite of Goofy, staring into his own hands, thinking. And she'd be sitting next to him, wondering where the road would take them in the unsettling silence that had followed Sora's trek around the Universe._

King Mickey and Queen Minnie were sitting in the chairs on either end of the long coffee table. That table, made of ebony wood, had not changed in two years. Perhaps this room had not been touched until King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy had suddenly appeared in Traverse Town not too long ago. It seemed to be that way yet the enchanted brooms she had seen around the castle apparently tidied up the study for them.

" Do sit," Queen Minnie said kindly.

Kairi looked behind her discretely. Lady Daisy was walking to the double doors and discussing something with Goofy. She then stepped aside to let the knight in, then closed the doors silently and stood before them, ready as always to intercept any news and messages for the king and queen and determine what was relevant and what was not.

" Sir," Riku dipped his head to King Mickey. " Ma'am."

King Mickey nodded. " Enough with the formalities; nobody outside the walls are watching us but yes, Riku, if it helps, you may do so."

Still stern-faced, Riku walked to the tall glass windows and peered out into the world beyond the walls and the train station.

" Formalities?" Naminé asked tentatively. " What do you mean by that?"

" You may relax, Naminé," Queen Minnie smiled. " Of course you'd still refer to us by title but you really don't need to go on with the other titles. This is a haven; you may be at ease."

There was an uneasy sigh behind her and she turned her head ever so slightly. " And who's this?"

Tetsu, who had been keeping to the back of the whole entourage, flushed with embarrassment and scratched his head. " Sorry about that."

Kairi glared at him some, until he realized the queen had asked him a question. " Oh, my name's Tetsu, Your Majesty."

" You may call me Queen Minnie," she said gently. " It gets tiring hearing people call me 'Your Majesty' so you may do with calling me by name."

" Tetsu, eh?" King Mickey raised an eyebrow at this. " And what's your purpose here?"

" He's with us," Auron said gruffly as he sat down on the couch to the left, in the seat closest to the king. " We have…similar missions, I should say."

" Missions?" King Mickey questioned. " Interesting…"

" Huyuk," Goofy nodded as he stood behind the left couch.

" We should discuss the situation with Valentine as well, Your Majesty," Donald quacked, standing behind the right couch. He was the only one who got away with calling either one of them that; the court wizard would have it no other way.

" Valentine," Auron muttered. " Where's he off to?"

" We don't know," Queen Minnie admitted.

Naminé sidled into a seat next to Auron. Kairi, who was getting tired of standing on her feet, slowly sat on the right couch, listening and wondering.

" Valentine? Vincent Valentine?" Kairi asked. " Why? What happened to him?"

It was Lady Daisy who answered. " A year ago, he told Leon, Cloud, and the others he was going to look for someone. Only Cloud seemed to understand his wish and told Leon to let him. We haven't heard from him since. It's worrying those who knew him well."

" What's he look like?" Tetsu asked curiously.

" Dark-haired man with a ragged red cloak and a rather skeletal hand," Auron explained. " Calls himself a vampire but really he was the subject of brutal inhuman experiments."

" A red cloak?"

" Well, it's more like a red cape-"

" I remember seeing someone with a red cloak and dark hair," Tetsu mulled over. " I was fighting a Darkside-"

" Why were you fighting a Darkside?" Kairi asked, startled.

" A Darkside?" Donald echoed. " That Heartless only appears in a world marked for destruction! Where were you?"

" Hell if I knew what the world was," Tetsu muttered. " But I was fighting a Darkside because it got in my way-" Riku snorted; Tetsu glared at his back "-and then this man appeared with some gun. He started shooting the Darkside and told me to get out of there, off the world. I told him that the request was bullshit; he told me it was an order and that he'll deal with the Darkside. I, um, decided to leave. Haven't seen him since."

He finished his little story and was met with silence. Both the king and queen had bowed their heads in sorrow.

" Those who remain on the world marked for destruction to fight the Darkside often don't survive the blast that follows," Auron explained. " There's very few who survived such a disaster and that includes Sora, and those who still live on Destiny Islands. I doubt Valentine survived, though."

" This is dark news, indeed," the king murmured. " But like Auron said, there are few who survived. Perhaps Valentine is still out there. Auron, can you find Valentine? Cloud's looking for him. I don't know why, but it seems urgent."

He nodded. " I'll do that."

" Now, it's the other thing we need to worry about, hyuk!" Goofy hiccupped. " Sora!"

He looked rather pointedly at Tetsu but the man ignored the look. He did seem to understand it, though and growled out, " I'm not Sora! If I was, I wouldn't be here, would I?"

" If you suffered the loss of memory like others," Lady Daisy cut in sharply, " you wouldn't be saying that, would you?"

Tetsu stared at her, astonished. He opened his mouth but nothing came out and he chose to look away instead. Apparently he thought better than to start an argument with someone who clearly knew what she was talking about.

" We haven't gotten word from anyone who's seen him, though," King Mickey sighed. " It's like he had vanished and everyone somehow had the same vision of the same person. I, for one, just don't understand it at all."

" Have you tried asking-" Riku began.

" We don't know where he went," Donald interrupted. " He's gone, too. We've heard some reports but they can't be trusted. It could be anyone."

" Oh…damn it, we're so getting nowhere," Riku muttered, running a hand through his long silver hair. " We're missing those two and Valentine, what's next?"

Queen Minnie looked pointedly at King Mickey, who then said, " Another threat. It seems the Gathering you warned us of back then really is going to take place-"

" They've gathered the Princesses of Heart?" Tetsu interrupted, looking up and suddenly on the alert. " Already? Last time I heard, they were still missing-oh."

He realized that everyone was staring at him. But then Kairi remembered he had mentioned something like this before…like yesterday.

" He's heard about it from others," Auron explained. " But is this _the_ Gathering?"

" I'm afraid so," King Mickey sighed. " They found the last of the other six Princesses of Heart. Beast wasn't particularly happy-"

" They took Belle?" Riku demanded. " This is like the third time; I'm amazed Beast hasn't lost his mind-"

" Well, actually, he mostly did," Lady Daisy cut in again. " Merlin had to get the Three Fairies to cast a spell of sleep over Fabled Countryside so that he doesn't do something outrageous or dangerous again."

" Oh…"

Naminé fiddled with the sketchbook again; she seemed to have picked out something in the discussion to illustrate and was sketching fiercely. Kairi looked at her; the blonde teenager looked extremely bothered by something. She actually looked nervous, nervous from being guilty about something. But what?

" They're…der…missing only one," Goofy said, scratching his head. " And that's Kairi. But it makes me worried. What _are_ they going to do?"

Riku provided the answer. " Maleficent once told me that the seven hearts of the seven princesses would open the door to untold wisdom. I'm sure she really meant Kingdom Hearts, which we got to without the seven hearts but since she added in 'untold wisdom', perhaps that's the door the Organization's trying to open."

" So that they can become whole," King Mickey added. " With the wisdom they gain a heart and with that, they can become whole beings. But strangely enough, we haven't heard from the Organization in a long time. They took Belle's heart, see, and not her body as well. She's in a state of the endless sleep, as well as the other five. Their hearts were taken during the night, when the Heartless are free to roam."

" So you're saying they were all struck during the night in their own worlds? They didn't _kidnap_ the Princesses?" Riku turned around, looking aghast. " That would explain the Heartless attack on Destiny Islands!"

" What?" Donald all but screeched.

In five minutes Auron, Riku, Naminé, and Kairi – along with some choice words from Tetsu – recounted the Heartless' attempt to take Kairi's heart the other day. When they were done, King Mickey looked as bothered as ever.

" This is getting us nowhere," Lady Daisy offered her opinion. " Kairi won't be safe anywhere if the only thing the Heartless need to do is take her heart."

" But I thought the Organization didn't control the Heartless," Queen Minnie said. " Don't they control the Nobodies?"

" We haven't heard from the Nobodies for two years," Lady Daisy countered. " After the disasters, they disappeared. All the reports we get are about the Heartless and the Organization members, those that survived the wipeout by Sora."

" Well…there were _some_ things that I found out…" Riku said quietly. " King Mickey, you said DiZ seemed familiar to you, right? Well, I found out why he shared Ansem's voice and why he hates the Organization. He _is_ Ansem and the Organization is a threat to him. That's why he put me in there as a mole. And that's why he hates the Enigmatic Man and Axel."

" DiZ was Ansem?" King Mickey asked, horrified. " Well, why couldn't we tell, especially during Castle Oblivion? How could he be there when Ansem was within you trying to take you over?"

" I think when Sora opened Kingdom Hearts four years ago, Ansem's heart got torn from his body and soul. The heart stayed in me, and the body and soul became DiZ. He became a Non-Existent One, like his Thirteenth Report said. But why are the Heartless cooperating with the Organization? DiZ and Axel are mortal enemies, and the Enigmatic Man is something quite different…"

" The Heartless can do what the Organization can't: take out the heart," Kairi found herself answering at a bare whisper. " They only need to dig into your chest and grip your heart, then pull it out. It's not…messy or fussy, but only the Heartless can do that. The Nobodies…all they're good for is to take out the souls but the Organization needs hearts, not souls. Maybe…maybe DiZ…is like _lending_ the Organization the Heartless. After all, if the Organization can succeed in becoming whole, DiZ can get his heart back…and become Ansem again."

The others were nodding. " Well, I never thought of it that way," Queen Minnie admitted. " With this kind of…alliance, both sides have the same things to gain and the same things to lose. Neither can be better than the other."

" Unless Axel's his own mind," Riku muttered under his breath but nobody heard him.

" Well, now what do we do?" Tetsu asked. " Do we go look for Sora? Valentine? Or do we try to get the hearts back to the Princesses? Or do we destroy the Organization and DiZ?"

" Maybe all of that," King Mickey said. " Maybe more."

At the last statement, he looked at the grandfather clock ticking on the wall next to the bookshelves. " But for now, I think we should show you your rooms. I'm sure that you're all tired after that little escapade of yours yesterday and the long train ride here. Lady Daisy will guide you and after you have refreshed yourselves, eat what you will in the dining hall. But Auron, a word please. Donald, tell Pluto go to fetch Merlin; I'd like him here as well."

Kairi looked at the king and Auron curiously but said nothing as she stood with the others. Riku headed for them from his spot at the window and Goofy had woken himself up from the sleep he had fallen into on his feet.

" Yes, right this way, please," Lady Daisy said, opening the double doors for them. Donald strode past her to Pluto, who was sitting patiently with a message in his mouth. Donald took it, scanned it quickly, then told Pluto, " Get Merlin. King Mickey wants him."

He then turned and went to King Mickey. " Message for you. I think you should take a look at it."

The king nodded and took the paper. He scanned its contents, closed his eyes, then said, " Thank you."

He then turned to Auron and his voice dropped to a mere hush, keeping others from hearing him. Kairi looked at him, wondering, but Riku touched her at the elbow and she scooted herself forward to follow Lady Daisy, who was talking with Naminé about the room arrangements.

"…all in the east wing, just like last time…"

Kairi froze. The east wing?

_It was dark but she knew where all the rooms were, as well as who inhabited each room. She quickly made her way across the hall to the door right in front of hers. She felt silly in the thin pink robe over her white nightdress and hoped nobody was patrolling the halls, like Pluto and Merlin had a tendency to do._

_She raised a fist to knock on the door, thought better of it, and quietly opened the door._

" _Who's there?" a sleepy voice called out as she closed the door behind her._

" _Me, silly; who else would be visiting at three in the morning?"_

" _Three already?" a familiar bushel of spikes sat up on the bed near the window. The only light cast into the room came from the cluster of stars; the moon had already made the trek to the other side. " Damn…"_

_Smiling, Kairi made her way to the bed and the figure in the dark scooted over to give her some room to sit._

" _And what do I owe for this midnight visit?" Sora asked with a smile as Kairi sat down on the white bed and pulled her legs up. She leaned against her knees and watched him._

_The question went unanswered as they sat on the bed watching each other. All that remained was the blissful, peaceful silence._

" _And why were you up until three?" Kairi asked, finally breaking the silence._

_Sora scratched his head as he leaned on his other arm. " Um…I was just…thinking…"_

_Kairi giggled into her arms. " You were _thinking_?"_

_Sora grinned sheepishly. " Hey, I did get older. I can think!"_

" _I know, but you never seem to be the type to think," she said, tilting her head to the side as she looked at him. " And why are you in your, um…"_

_She felt herself turn red. Not only did she expect him to be up thinking until three in the morning, she didn't expect him to do that in only his boxers!_

" _What?" Sora looked down on himself. " Oh…great. Um…sometimes it gets too hot…you know?"_

" _Maybe it's just you," she said, forcing herself to stop staring at the well-defined muscles his shirtless-ness revealed. She instead looked out the window at the many stars winking in the dark night._

" _Yeah, maybe…" She felt his eyes on her for several uncomfortable minutes, then felt them slide past her to the stars as well._

_Silently, for who knows how long, they watched the skies in silence, admiring the beauty in the stars that had not vanished. And simply being in the presence of each other. Kairi had not felt peace like this since the early days of Destiny Islands and wished life would remain this way._

_She yawned. Sora smiled and said, " Sleepy?"_

" _No…" She stifled another yawn. " Maybe yes…"_

_She slowly lowered herself onto the bed. " Can I sleep here?"_

" _Yes…" She felt him lay down next to her and pull the blanket over both of them. " Yes you may."_

_She smiled faintly as she felt his warm presence next to hers. " Good night," she whispered._

_Right before she drifted off into sleep, she felt something soft and warm brush her lips._

" _Night."_

She flushed, covering her face with her hands as she silently followed the others across one of the 'bridges' over the grand hall into the east wing of the castle. She had nearly forgotten that night.

After all, Axel broke in the next day and the disasters that followed ruined everything. Including her life.

''

" Can I get my room?" Riku asked as they stopped at a red-carpeted hall. On either side were doors and lanterns, which were, of course, not lit; it was still morning, after all.

Lady Daisy smiled. " I knew you were going to ask that. Yes, everyone who's been before gets the same rooms as last time. The enchanted brooms dusted everything but other than that, nothing's been touched. Donald and Goofy will be taking the rooms on each end of the hall as before but Tetsu…I'm not sure where to put you."

" What, these are all guest rooms ready year-round for just about anyone?" he snorted, eyeing what seemed to be an endless series of doors.

" And you got a problem with that?" Lady Daisy demanded sharply, turning on him. " Listen bud, I don't know who the hell you are at this minute but while you're under this roof you're going to show some manners. And if you don't have any, then I'll make sure they're pounded into you deep before you leave! Understand?"

Everybody else had backed up, giving them a good five-foot radius. Lady Daisy hadn't burst her bubble since that rumored visit to Disney Castle by Sora, Donald, and Goofy two years pervious. Obviously Tetsu had done just that.

" Um…yes?" he replied sheepishly, backpedaling as quickly as possibly until he ran into the wall.

" Good," Lady Daisy sniffed. " Sort yourselves out; I'll tell the chef at the dining hall to prepare a brunch for you."

She strode down the hall and disappeared around the corner, leaving everyone to give Tetsu their full, undivided attention.

" What?" he snapped.

They all shrugged. Naminé went to the door down south, near the end, where she said there was a wonderful view of the sunrise and the east gardens. Riku went to the door right next to hers; he opened the door, looked in, and smiled before walking in.

" Now I need to move my stuff here…" Goofy complained, sighed, and walked in the opposite direction. Kairi gave Donald a questioning eye.

" He parked at the knights' headquarters, where he used to live before I found the note in the throne room that morning years ago," the magician explained as he walked with her to his room, which was the first room in the east wing. " It takes a while to get from one place to another but I don't think he has a lot to carry besides his armor, which he's wearing, the shield and a change of clothes. The palooka!"

He opened his door and peeked in. A sneeze later he pulled his head out, looking disgusted. " I think Daisy's playing with me; this room hasn't been touched in _years!_"

He looked around, then told Kairi, " I'm going to look for some enchanted brooms. Come down to the dining hall whenever you like."

" Okay, thanks, Donald," Kairi smiled. She turned to go to her room, then stopped. " Um Donald? Do you guys have a…change of clothes for me?"

" Nope, sorry, Kairi." Donald padded out of the hall, leaving Kairi to sigh at the fact she'd be traveling around in her school uniform.

She looked up and saw Tetsu stare at a door at the right hand.

''

**Tetsu's Point of View**

I had to admit, that Lady Daisy was quite a ball of fire. The way that duck woman glared at me, I thought I was getting sent straight to hell.

Maybe I really did irritate her; she just left me to pick out a room for myself. There were a lot of rooms; either she was doing me a favor by letting me pick whatever room I wanted or she had surprises waiting in store.

I smirked. I could imagine that happening.

I heard Kairi talking to Donald and the Court Wizard exclaiming about dust and some prank Lady Daisy pulled on him. I wasn't surprised; I was right after all about her.

I looked around, noted where Naminé and Riku went. Clearly they knew which rooms were theirs; I knew they hadn't been here for two years so it seemed odd they know where they used to stay.

Maybe it's just me.

I looked at the doors on the right hand, wondering which to choose. That was when it hit me. It wasn't some food for thought or a spur-of-the-moment thing, but just some weird, intangible feeling. It was like one of the doors was calling me.

Slowly I went my way over to the wooden door. It wasn't any different from the other doors; I didn't know why it stood out to me amongst all others. Like I said, it was an endless sea of doors, doors that all looked alike. How could anyone know which door led to which room?

I touched the doorknob; something flashed into my mind. Blue eyes, like the ones I see whenever I look into the mirror, appeared, then vanished as quickly as they came.

_What was that?_ Shaking my head, I slowly opened the door and walked in.

The first thing that surprised me was its Spartan-like state. Funny, for some reason I expected a clutter of things. But why would I assume such a thing?

My eyes wandered around the room. There were two chairs, plainly carved, facing the three tall Gothic windows; it was mid-morning so the sun did not hit the room directly. The bed was queen-sized; obviously the king and queen wanted their guests to sleep in comfort. The white blankets were well tucked; it made me recall the mess I left on the bed in Kairi's guestroom. Oh well, too bad I'm not going to be living there anymore.

I looked around, at the bare bookshelf on the right side of the door. On the left was a small dark walnut dresser with a mirror. There was nothing on the top but when I looked into the four drawers I found a change of clothes. Or two; from what it looked like, one seemed to fit someone smaller than me while the other I could most likely…um, borrow.

Closing the drawers I then turned to the desk on the wall opposite of the bed. There I expected a clutter and saw it. There was an open inkwell and a dirty white goose quill lying on a cluster of papers. It was blotting one of the pages when the ink finally dried; there were also quite a few books lying all over the desk. I picked up one of the books and looked at the first inside page.

_From Innocence to Experience: The Romantic Poets Anthology_. What the heck?

I flipped through the whole of the book, not at all interested in the poetry. Who the heck reads this stuff?

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw another book. It was a red leather-bound tome and it looked suspicious. I picked it up; there was no title on it. A diary, maybe?

I flipped open the cover and took a look at the first page. Someone had handwritten – in a vaguely familiar hardscrabble hand – a poem. One look at the bottom of it and I knew it was copied from another book, maybe that _Anthology_ book?

_**The Garden of Love**_

_I laid me down upon a bank,_

_Where Love lay sleeping;_

_I heard among the rushes dank_

_Weeping, weeping._

_Then I went to the heath and the wild,_

_To the thistles and thorns of the waste;_

_And they told me how they were beguiled,_

_Driven out, and compelled to the chaste._

_I went to the Garden of Love,_

_And saw what I never had seen;_

_A Chapel was built in the midst,_

_Where I used to play on the green._

_And the gates of this Chapel were shut,_

_And 'Thou shalt not' writ over the door;_

_So I turned to the Garden of Love_

_That so many sweet flowers bore._

_And I saw it was filled with graves,_

_And tombstones where flowers should be;_

_And priests in black gowns were walking their rounds,_

_And binding with briars my joys and desires._

_William Blake_

Why was this poem copied into the front page? I stared at the title again. 'The Garden of Love'. What love? What I read had nothing to do with Love, only about…about what? What was this poem about; why was it written? Why am I fretting over this? Why should I care?

I put the book down but changed my mind at the last second. I wanted to know more, what else was in here. I flipped to the next page.

' They said I needed to practice my handwriting so I might as well do as they say. I'll copy every good poem I find in that poetry book I found in the library until my handwriting gets better. If nothing changes in the end, I'll laugh.'

And underneath was yet another poem. It was tempting, so tempting to skip it. But the first poem intrigued me; I felt curious as to what poem this person copied next.

_**Impression Du Matin**_

_The Thames nocturne of blue and gold_

_Changed to a Harmony in grey:_

_A barge of ochre-coloured hay_

_Dropt from the wharf: and chill and cold_

_The yellow fog came creeping down_

_The bridges, till the houses' walls_

_Seemed changed to shadows and St. Paul's_

_Loomed like a bubble o'er the town._

_Then suddenly arose the clang_

_Of waking life; the streets were stirred_

_With country wagons: and a bird_

_Flew to the glistening roofs and sang,_

_But one pale woman all alone,_

_The daylight kissing her wan hair,_

_Loitered beneath the gas lamps' flare_

_With lips of flame and heart of stone._

_Oscar Wilde_

I stared. What was with this poetry? It all sounded so…depressing. There was cheer and happiness, I could read, but there was some underlying message beneath the two poems written in this journal. Well, this was a journal, right? Wait, what _is_ the difference between a journal and a diary?

Cursing myself for asking myself such a stupid question, largely because I couldn't answer it, I thumbed through the pages. I found a variety of doodles, extremely messy passages, and random bits of poetry obviously copied out of the _Anthology_ book. Then I found myself compelled to stop at a little tight packet of words. I hadn't seen anything so scrunched up together into one passage.

_**E Tenebris**_

_Come down, O Christ, and help me! reach Thy hand,_

_For I am drowning in a stormier sea_

_Than Simon on Thy lake of Galilee;_

_The wine of life is spilt upon the sand,_

_My heart is as some famine-murdered land_

_Whence all good things have perished utterly,_

_And well I know my soul in Hell must lie_

_If I this night before God's throne should stand._

'_He sleeps perchances, or rideth to the chase,_

_Like Baal, when his prophets howled that name_

_From morn to noon on Carmel's smitten height.'_

_Nay, pace, I shall behold, before the night,_

_The feet of brass, the robe more white than flames,_

_The wounded hands, the weary human face._

_Oscar Wilde_

This was…violent. It seemed like someone was drowning in a sea of despair. And that was when I saw that the page was dotted with wrinkles, like someone was crying on this page.

' She's always there. In my dreams, in my mind, in my heart. Everyday I wish I could see her, every night I dream of her smiles. It hurts, it hurts so much just to think of her, waiting for me to bring Riku back with me to the Islands. I wish this nightmare could end, so I could come back to her…and tell her I love her. Yes, I love her; for so long she and Riku were my best friends and I thought it would stay at that but I guess things changed. Now I can't stop thinking about her. If only I could see her again…'

And then it hit me.

" This was Sora's room," a voice behind me said softly. " He was here, whenever he came to Disney Castle. But it doesn't look like it. Someone's cleaned it up."

I slowly put the diary down, then looked over my shoulder. Kairi had followed me into the room but simply stood a few feet into the room, looking pointedly at the white bed.

" When I was here, sometimes I'd find him dozing on the white bed. He was the laziest one in the castle," she said. I could guess from the tone she had a smile on her face. " He was even lazier than Goofy. " Sora, you lazy bum," I used to say. " What are you doing lying around while the rest of us are working!" Then he'd throw the pillow at me. Used to happen almost every day."

I raised an eyebrow. Every day? The Keyblade Master was a real bum, I could tell. A real bum with horrible handwriting who chose poems with secret meanings and never told Kairi he loved her. What a guy.

" Where was your room?" I asked, already guessing her answer.

" Across from his," she said quietly. Her voice was trembling; was she crying again? All this sobbing and weeping and crying her heart out; I'm surprised her tear ducts haven't gone dry.

" So I've surmised," I said, slowly slipping the journal under my coat. I didn't want her to know this diary existed and I wanted to poke through it later, once I found my room that is. " You two were close, weren't you?"

She was crying. I knew she was; she was covering her face with her hands and she was crying. So many times I heard her cry but every time it shook me; she really was a vulnerable person, hurt by memories she can't forget that torture her.

I didn't know what to do; being near someone who was sobbing made me nervous, scatterbrained really. I didn't know whether to comfort her or let her wallow in her own despair. I was so tempted to do the latter but then again, she had done a lot for me, hasn't she? And she was so…different. She wasn't exactly a stranger to me; on the train here she told me bits and pieces of her childhood with Sora, Riku, Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie, she told me some of her waiting for Sora to come home, of sometimes wanting to give in to the despair, of many 'human' emotions I never cared to notice before. I had to give something in return…but what?

" Why?"

The train of thought was broken. I looked at her.

" Why?" Kairi turned to me, tears running down her face. " Why are you doing this to me? Ever-ever since you came, I…I can't stop. I can't stop thinking about him. Why, Tetsu, why?"

There was only one thing I could do. One thing I had to do.

I went up to her and pulled her into a hug. She leaned against me, sobbing, her tears staining my trench coat. I felt her shaking under my hold and held her even tighter, feeling…sorry. I felt so sorry for her, suddenly understood how weak she really was. Underneath that fiery exterior with a staff was a young girl waiting for her friend to come home. A friend she had fallen in love with. And she had waited too long.

I felt a certain resolve, as she fell silent, cried mutely. The Heartless, they were the ones who did this, who damaged someone who didn't deserve this pain. She had weakened over the years, became the broken, lovesick woman who longed for her lover to return from beyond the sea. And no longer would she have to suffer. I will destroy the Darkness, destroy any and all that stand between Kairi and the one she waited for, the one we all waited for.

From the corner of my eye, I saw someone turn away and disappear, someone with silver hair. Him I could deal with later; now I had to look to my task at hand.

" I'll find him, Kairi," I whispered. " I'll find him…so we can end the nightmare and go home…I promise."

I felt her nod, felt her embrace me fiercely with gratitude. And everything felt right. For once.


	9. Yesterday

**Author's Note: **The anticipated next chapter has finally come! But first, a moment of silence; my pet goldfish of six years died Friday morning, September 23, 2005. Goldfish just don't live that long. Anyways, I think you guys will like this chapter. But for those of you who cry easy, a warning: Bring out the Kleenex. The big question is also partially answered: Why did Axel break into Disney Castle?

Copyright notes: All characters and settings belong to Square Enix and Disney. Only the plot is mine. MINE!

**Rain of Sorrow**

**Chapter 8: Yesterday**

It's been two days since Auron took them four to Disney Castle. Two days of what seemed like a real vacation, a real paradise. Two days and he was already sick of it. Sick of wandering around the castle grounds waiting for Auron and King Mickey to finishing discussing things, sick of being unable to convince Naminé to leave the library and Merlin and go take a walk with him, sick of Kairi moping around visiting old memories and refusing human company, and sick of Tetsu for being Tetsu.

In fact, he hated Tetsu.

Riku made a trembling fist, grappled with his mind, then slowly released it. He couldn't understand why he felt so much anger, revulsion for that stranger. He had only known the stranger for three days but he knew the hate was mutual. Tetsu had barely spoken to him ever since Riku passed by, found the door to Sora's room open, and peeked in to find…what he didn't want to see.

That memory seared his mind, a burning image that had not left him alone for the two next days. It infuriated him, made him want to destroy something, _anything_, preferably that bastard that pushed him out of Kairi's life.

" Okay, Riku, calm down, and let's think things through," Riku told himself as he stared out a window at the south gala room. He peered down on the south gardens, where the gummi ship garage sat on the left and the knights' headquarters on the right. " Let's see now, how do things go…guy gets run over by a car, Kairi takes him to her house to get better, and basically they get to mosey about under one roof the whole weekend. And to top it all off, he uses Keyblades, fights like Sora, and even remotely looks like Sora."

He leaned his head against the glass pane and sighed deeply. _This is so stupid. But why am I getting so frustrated over this?_

He closed his eyes and breathed in the heavy air of the gala room. He remembered every detail of this room; there was one time when Sora decided on a whim, as usual, to have some sort of midnight dance. Not that anyone knew – or admitted that they knew – how to dance but they convinced Chip and Dale, at one in the morning, to play some music for them. It was basically the six of them – Sora, Riku, Kairi, Naminé, Donald, and Goofy – ducking it out on the dance floor while Chip and Dale really woke up and started playing music like crazy.

He smiled, remembering when the whole castle woke up and crowded into the gala room to see what all the chaos was about. The king and queen promptly joined the fun and soon everyone else did, too. He could swear the enchanted brooms practiced their synchronization; they just knew how to square dance to some serious punk music.

Riku smiled at how the royal duo was able to disco, looked at how Chip and Dale DJ'd music equipment that had suddenly materialized. Donald and Lady Daisy seemed to have made up over some personal problems by then, and Goofy and Merlin were challenging each other to dance contests with passion. Pluto was running around the enchanted brooms, yipping and flying like a yellow bullet.

More of that one endless night spilled into his mind. Chip and Dale struck up an old tune not long after going through the punk music; it was some song by a singer from the other side of the world of Disney. Riku remembered Queen Minnie saying that it was the favorite song of the royal duo and in the far past they used to go to the gala room and dance to the song at midnight.

'Can You Feel the Love Tonight' had begun and gradually the dancing slowed to a gentle serenade. The enchanted brooms were slowly streaming out, followed lastly by Pluto who seemed to know better than to stick around for a song like this. King Mickey and Queen Minnie, Donald and Lady Daisy were romancing it; they obviously had done so in the old days before the Heartless came. Goofy and Merlin were following along the same lines but were dancing with cheerful smiles and goofy movements, as bachelor friends should.

He had smiled to Naminé, decided to dance with her as the clock neared three, and slowly slipped through the moves the witch had taught him a while back when they stationed themselves at Disney Castle. She had told him dancing was key to taking up residence in the home of nobility and, despite his vehement protests about being a simple boy from the Islands, forced it all into him. And now he was showing it all, a student proudly displaying his knowledge to the mentor.

And then he saw his two best friends, Sora and Kairi, far apart from the rest of the world. Where had either of them learned how to dance like that? Riku had wondered when he saw them. Sora was not one to dance and neither was Kairi. But there they were, slowly swaying to the old love song under the streaming moonlight. He saw Sora whisper into her ear, saw her flush and lower her head, and wondered at what he said to her.

Then he began to think about how much everyone in this room had changed. Three childhood friends from an obscure tropical island were dancing in a castle ballroom with the king and queen of a well-known world. Three childhood friends kept together by the closest of friendships, pulled apart by a darkness that one accepted, that one was taken by, that one repulsed. And out of the tumultuous times came two close friends with radical viewpoints of reality and one who waited desperately for the two of them to come home, to mend the rifts so that they can become whole again.

Impossible.

How possible can it be, when two of the three friends fall in love with each other, when one is filled with the weight of guilt, of betraying them and all the good in the universe?

How can that happen, when these two best friends, best of rivals, continuously clash over the way the world is? One sees the worlds as undeserving of the light and in need of destruction; one sees the worlds as needing to be saved so that they can bask in the glorious rays of the sun. And when they collided…

_Thank you, Sora, for teaching me to see_, Riku thought, suddenly remembering he never told his friend that. He had never thanked his friend for bringing him back.

Too late. When Axel came five days after the dance, everything changed.

" Damn you, Axel," Riku snarled into the glass, making a fist and trying to keep himself from doing more than just tap the pane. " Godfuckingdamn, if it weren't for you-"

" You what?"

_Godfuckingdamn, if it weren't for you Kairi would notice me!_ Riku swore mentally as he steeled himself to turn around and face Tetsu, who had wandered into the gala room, admiring its spacious beauty. " Nothing! What do you want?"

He didn't mean to sound so cross but he winced at the harshness in his voice. Tetsu didn't seem to notice it; he simply walked to one of the huge glass windows and stared up at the top. Two-thirds of the way, the clear pane gave way to a stunning stained glass image, circular with a royal figurine among roses. There were a series of seven of such colored-glass images, each depicting a different being. It was the one in the middle that he seemed to have found most interesting; the first thing that made it shone was its slighter longer diameter. Riku followed his line of sight and suddenly realized the images. He had never noticed them before.

The three to his left depicted Alice, Jasmine, and Aurora. The three on his right showed Cinderella, Snow White, and Belle. But the one in the middle…was a delicate figurine with long crimson hair standing in front of a silver heart. On one side – his left – was the paupu fruit; the other side – his right – depicted a silvery crown. Above the person was the Silver Keyblade; beneath it was the Soul Eater. _His_ Soul Eater.

" Kairi…isn't it?" Tetsu murmured, staring up at it. " Does she know?"

Riku, ready to let loose a snappish retort, caught himself when he realized what the question really meant. " N-no…not since two years ago. I never noticed these, before. I knew there were seven tall windows but I never saw what was on top…"

And then he remembered the first time he found the gala room, when colors danced in the sunlight and he stared at the floor in awe of the display. That was when Sora loped in, knocked him upside the head, and challenged him to a race down to the south gardens. Riku hadn't given much thought to the colors since.

" They're…beautiful," Tetsu breathed, then seemed to have caught himself. " Not that you heard that."

" I think I did."

" Then pretend you didn't."

" Then why'd you say it?"

" Pretend I never said anything."

Riku raised an eyebrow at him as he tilted his sunglasses. The strange man had a set, serious expression on his face and a thoughtful gaze, as he continued to scan all seven of them. " They're the Princesses of Heart, I should imagine. After all, there's seven of them. What are their names?"

" You'll find out eventually but I might as well tell you…" Riku muttered and named every one of them, from right to left. " Cinderella, Snow White, Belle, Kairi, Aurora, Jasmine, and Alice. Alice is the youngest; I believe Cinderella and Snow White are the oldest."

" Hm…" Tetsu nodded slowly. Riku cast a sidelong glance at him, hoping he wouldn't ask another question and just leave. Unfortunately for him- " Being a Princess of Heart has nothing to do with royalty, I surmise. Am I right?"

Hiding a grimace of irritation, Riku answered dutifully, " Cinderella and Snow White are both married to princes, making them both princesses. Aurora and Jasmine are daughters of kings. Belle, Alice, and Kairi are the only questionable ones; I don't know what Beast's status or his real name is, Alice seems to simply be a young girl who ended up on the wrong side of the Darkness, and Kairi came from Hollow Bastion on behalf of…Ansem, but we have yet to know who she _really_ is."

" Interesting…I think she told me that a while back…"

Riku felt his stomach twist, recalling how the two of them were talking on the train after she woke up three hours into the train ride from Destiny Islands. Growling at himself, he pushed away the queasiness and readied himself for another question.

" So it only matters what's within their hearts," Tetsu pondered, pacing now. He kept a good distance from Riku though, which made the other man quite relieved. " A pure, strong heart full of…what? Light? Innocence? Kindness? Or compassion? What makes them who they are…and why them? Why not others? There are stronger women, braver women, and Princess of Heart is not defined by royalty so why…those seven? Is this how they will always live, in fear of the Darkness who seek to harness whatever glows within them?"

He looked to Riku. The silver-headed teenager glared back and replied tartly, " Don't ask questions nobody else can answer. Now, may I ask why you are here?"

" Why am I here? Well, I'm not simply here wandering around and annoying your little ass; I came to ask a question." Tetsu stopped where he was and looked up at the stained glass image of Kairi. " What's Sora like?"

" What?" Riku turned on him, looking startled.

" Is that a hard question to understand?" Tetsu looked at him curiously. And critically. " Or is there something more to this?"

" That's not it," Riku muttered. " It's just…the old memories are hard to remember."

" What, they're too old?"

" No!" Riku yelled and turned on Tetsu. " That's not it! I didn't forget anything! How could I? I can't forget anything about Sora, my best friend! I mean sure we had our quirks and we were always competing, trying to see who was better than the other but we were the best of buds! I can't forget that! Sure he was a lazy bum and all of us knew it but when he throws his back into it, he'll work more than the rest of us combined! And he never backed down from doing what's right! Even if…even if I'm the one fighting him…"

Tired of his heated barrage, Riku looked away, remembering what he never told that Keyblade Master: _Thank you, Sora, for teaching me to see._

" Interesting…" Tetsu thought. Then he looked at Riku with a veiled gaze. " You know, if you wanted you could just say it."

" Say what?" Riku demanded.

" Stop denying it, Riku," Tetsu said. " Or would you like me to spell it out for you?"

" Spell what?"

" You hate me, is that right? You hate my guts to hell and that's because I get in your way, I'm the one standing between you and Kairi."

" What?" Riku exclaimed, startled. " What are you talking about?"

" Don't deny it, Riku," Tetsu snapped, storming to him. " You hate me because I'm the one getting Kairi's attention; I bet you think I'm standing in as Sora's substitute, eh? And you've been waiting for so long for Kairi to crack, to let go of Sora, to run into your arms, right? Well, guess what, mole in the Organization: you should stop fretting over someone who isn't going to be noticing you the way you want her to anytime soon and start looking around to the people who seem to care about _you_!"

He whirled around and strode off; halfway across the very silent gala room, he got stopped by a very joyous Pluto.

" Scram; I don't want to mess with you right now!" Tetsu snapped and the yellow dog slunk off, hurt.

He reached the doors and looked back at the very furious Riku. " By the way, you have a visitor."

He opened the doors and left them open, revealing – to Riku's horror – Naminé, who tried to hide the terrified look on her face.

She looked behind her to the storming dark figure, then to Riku, who only sighed in frustration and banged his head against the window, creating an echo of fair chimes.

Riku was making rather inhuman growls in his throat but he could hear the soft footsteps of the blonde witch nearing him.

" Riku?" she asked quietly, touching his shoulder. He was shaking badly. " Riku, calm down."

" How?" Riku's voice trembled. " How, Naminé, how? You heard him, didn't you?"

" Unfortunately I did," Naminé murmured, standing next to him and looking out the window. " But that means it's true, isn't it? Every word he said…is it true?"

" Um…" Riku sighed. And then it hit him; Tetsu was right. He was _right_. "…yes."

He looked at Naminé. The sun was streaming in the windows, glancing off of her paleness and giving her a golden glow. He squinted; he could barely see her in the aura.

" Yes?" she questioned softly, giving him a sidelong glance.

" Nothing."

She smiled. " You know, I never thought he'd pay attention to us. I thought he was some silent brute who really didn't care for any of us but he sees and observes what we don't. I'm really quite surprised."

" Really?" Riku said, trying to hide the displeasure from his voice.

She nodded. " I remember hearing Tetsu telling Lady Daisy he was too busy to meet with Queen Minnie earlier today."

" The nerve of that bastard!" Riku snapped.

" Surprisingly, thirty minutes later, I found him dozing at a window sill at the north end of the castle. Said he sat there to think but the sun made him too sleepy."

Riku smirked at this. _Just like Sora…wait, what am I saying? Why am I _smiling

" I have to admit, there's more to him than meets the eye…and that's more than just the cliché saying you'd find in books."

Riku blinked. " That comes from books?"

Naminé giggled. She took him by the arm and started leading him towards the doors out of the gala room. " You don't read a lot, do you?"

" Haven't visited the library in years," Riku admitted as she pulled him down a corner. " Wait, we're not going there again, are we? I mean, aren't we done with dance lessons and handwriting exercises?"

" No silly, we're going out to the gardens! I need to get out of here for some fresh air!" she laughed. She suddenly stopped and Riku nearly careened into her. " Handwriting exercises? I almost forgot-"

Riku continued pushing her down the hall. " No, I didn't say anything."

" I'm sure you did. I heard you perfectly."

" Pretend you didn't hear that."

" No, Riku, I'm quite sure you said it."

" Then pretend I didn't say it."

" Oh sure, likes that's gonna work-"

" _Now _you're sounding like an Islands kid."

" Great…"

""

" I feel like I live here," Merlin commented at one point as he sipped his fifth cup of Ceylon tea and lounged on one of the two large couches in the study.

" You _do_," Auron quipped as he fingered the gilt fireplace in the king's study. " Too fancy for your own good, I might say."

" Yes, I admit, it's far too much for my taste," King Mickey nodded, staring out the window. " But the Queen tells me it makes me look like a real king, especially when diplomats and visitors from other worlds come for visits and business. So I have no choice."

" Hmmf," was Auron's reply. He then turned to the blue-capped wizard. " Well?"

" Ah yes, what I was trying to say is that Kairi cannot stay here any longer," Merlin remembered, placing his teacup primly on its saucer. Not noticing both Auron and King Mickey turn on him in surprise, he continued, " The longer she stays, the more Heartless she draws. Her heart calls to them and they want it. I have heard Riku say so about the hearts; the Heartless need only to pull out hers in the night…and it is over."

" Well, what do you propose, keep her awake 24/7?" Auron snorted. " Impossible, the girl's gotta sleep. That is, unless you suggest we put her on a world where the sun never sets. And I _know_ there are no such worlds in existence."

King Mickey coughed quietly, silencing the taller man. " I know of the powers of the Keyblade. I used one myself, as I remind you. Though the Keyblades will draw the Heartless, as well as the Nobodies, the Organization, and just about everyone on the Darkside here in the Universe, the _person_ wielding them will repel any Heartless that approach him or her."

" Well, interesting I might say, Your Ma-King Mickey, but that's contradictory," Merlin said, looking over his shoulder to the mouse king. " The person who wields the Keyblade – or Keyblades – has a powerful heart as well, therefore attracting Heartless!"

" But what separates the Keyblade Wielder from the Princess of Heart is something _in_ the heart," Auron interrupted, heading to a bookshelf and skimming through the titles. " Not that I'd find it here but I do recall Cid Highwind finding such a book in the Hollow Bastion library discussing such matters. The Keyblade Wielder's heart differs from the Princess of Heart's because of something within, something that repulses the Heartless and the rest of the Darkness. Neither their hearts nor souls can be touched; that is why only death is the answer for the Darkness. The Heartless do not fight Sora to reach his heart and take it for themselves; they seek to kill him so that the Keyblade may disappear and – for them – hopefully never come back."

" And you suggest that the Keyblade Wielder guards the Princess of Heart?" Merlin asked, putting two and two together. " Well I might remind you that the Keyblade Wielder _wields_ the Keyblades. And _those_ attract Heartless."

" What I'm saying is that if the Keyblade Wielder and the Princess of Heart stay together, then his heart – and the Keyblades, of course – may be strong enough to keep the Heartless away. Therefore, that would make sleep and travel possible. The Heartless – and everybody else out there trying to get to this 'door of untold wisdom' – may follow, as one should expect, but they cannot touch her."

" Well, that's all and good," King Mickey nodded, seeing some logic in this. " That could help us a bit until Sora comes into the picture and finds the Door. Now my question is: who will guard Kairi?"

" Well, His Majesty must stay here and look after the Castle," Merlin said immediately.

" I know. And besides, I don't exactly have the Keyblade with me-"

" What do you mean, you don't have it with you?" Auron demanded.

" Ah, well, I let _him_ borrow it…"

" Oh."

" Auron, is Riku still using the Soul Eater?" Merlin questioned, sipping his cup.

" He won't have it any other way," the man in red replied gruffly. " He won't call out to a Keyblade, won't use the weapon. He thinks he's too tainted to wield such a weapon of the heart and light."

" Well that won't do us good," Merlin sighed, shaking his head. He picked his beard out of his tea and continued to drink it.

" Sigh…Riku, Riku, Riku, when will you ever understand…" King Mickey sighed, leaning against the window. " Has nothing turned him around?"

" Well, I'm leaning towards _someone_ accomplishing that task," Auron muttered.

" Ah, I see. So, Merlin, where does that leave us?"

The wizard-in-residence – other than Donald, whom King Mickey noticed was dealing with some issues in the gardens involving Daisy – sighed and simply sat for a few minutes. Either he was thinking up an answer, waiting for them to come to their sense, or had forgotten the question in a matter of seconds.

" Tetsu," Auron said calmly. " He wields both the Oblivion and the Oathkeeper, as I recounted again and again. He is a Keyblade Wielder and the only one we know as of now…until either one of those damn boys show up again!"

" There are problems concerning Tetsu, however," Merlin said slowly. Perhaps he was simply contemplating the person known as Tetsu. " We know next to nothing about him. Can he be trusted? What if he has a change of heart halfway through the journey to find Sora and recover the other six hearts? What if he's a double agent?"

" So far we've trusted him; he knew the Heartless were coming to get Kairi before the rest of us could sense them," Auron countered. He stopped short, surprised that he'd be arguing on behalf of this stranger. " …and he supposedly said looking for Sora will help him answer some of his own questions about himself. And if he's a double agent, why'd he be wielding the Keyblades?"

" Well, let's put it this way," King Mickey stated. " He could have stolen them from someone and not tell us that. Or he could pull off what Riku once did when controlled by Ansem – have you forgotten the Heart Unlocker?"

" That's not a real Keyblade."

" It was. It simply no longer exists. It was a Keyblade born from the corruption in Riku's heart. That is one reason why…why he refuses to wield such a weapon. It is a dangerous weapon; legend speaks of one who used it to save worlds and one who used it to destroy. Apparently Riku believed he would use the Keyblade to destroy and he still does. The poor boy."

King Mickey shook his head as he walked to his desk. Pulling out a drawer, he set some whiskey and a glass on the desk. Halfway closing the drawer, he then asked, " Whiskey, Auron?"

" No thanks, I've got enough in my jug to last me a while."

" Sorry, I forgot. By the way, nobody tell Minnie this; she knows I have a tendency to drink a little too much."

Merlin and Auron nodded to each other. " Our lips are sealed."

" Thanks," King Mickey said, uncorked the bottle and poured himself a glass. Taking a sip – and stifling a cough – he then added, " Of course we also have the problem within the group. I've been making my rounds throughout the days and notice the distance Kairi, Riku, and Tetsu keep between themselves."

" Oh yes, that…" Auron sighed. " I've seen plenty of that, too. Kairi used to enjoy being with others but lately I've been finding her by herself, wandering and staring out windows. She hasn't been outside yet; she walks the castle as a ghost would haunt it."

" Or a dream," Merlin muttered quietly. " I've heard plenty about some problem between Riku and Tetsu. I do know a bit about the former; he is still attracted to Kairi and with the appearance of Tetsu, it's been causing problems in the friendship between him and Kairi. Of course, then there's Tetsu himself."

" Isn't this great," Auron snorted. " I go and tell Tetsu he needs to guard Kairi and it's going to tick of Riku and I'd be forced into a situation in which I need to knock some fine heads together in order to get some sense into them!"

" Would you do that?"

" Which part, King Mickey?"

" The first part, of course. No need knocking heads now; they'll learn sooner or later it's important to cooperate."

" I opt for the sooner. So, it's to Hollow Bastion, then?"

" We do need to know more about Valentine," Merlin nodded. " Send us a report on why Cloud let Valentine go and why he needs him back. Ask them for any news concerning Sora, the Princesses of Heart, the Organization, Heartless activity, anything of the sort. You understand, right?"

Auron nodded. " I know. Looks like I've another story to help write."

King Mickey smiled. " Yes, yes you do. But Auron, go lightly on Cloud. He's taken some hard hits, as we all should know."

" Indeed," Merlin said, rising. " I shall go tell Chip and Dale to-"

" We're traveling by train," Auron interjected immediately.

" Oh no, not you," King Mickey corrected. " Remember? Donald and Goofy are headed for Traverse Town to look into the Second District."

" Of course. Sorry about that." Auron turned to the doors. " We're leaving tomorrow. I'll tell the others."

" Do so, Auron. I'll have Lady Daisy order supplies to your rooms," King Mickey told him. " We'll funnel in some munny from the treasury; you may buy supplies while traveling. I hear Louie, Huey, and Dewie invented some excellent potions so you should stop by Traverse Town, too."

" I'd rather keep my ten mile-radius around their store, thanks," the tall man muttered. " Can't trust the crazy triplets."

" If you say so…"

Auron left the study, leaving Merlin and King Mickey to contemplate their next move.

" Wonderland's been destroyed but the Cheshire Cat's done some good again," Merlin remarked with regards to the message Pluto had two days earlier. " Where will they strike next?"

" I've told the others to evacuate everyone as well as the bodies if the Heartless come in too strong a force. I've also told them to send the alarm if the Organization or DiZ is spotted. But I'm worried about Kairi. They'll be after her hard. You should know why; she's been the most elusive and she's the most powerful of the Princesses."

King Mickey poured himself another glass of whiskey.

" If two boys keep their priorities straight, we won't have any problems," Merlin said with confidence, pouring himself another cup of tea. " Of course the question is whether or not they can keep their priorities straight."

" My question exactly," King Mickey nodded. _Oh Riku, what are you afraid of? The past is behind you; hasn't Sora taught you to see what lies within your heart?_

""

Silently she walked down the grand hall, following her memories and the 'landmarks' as she made her rounds on the castle grounds. She refused to go outside, could not stand the assumed assault of memories upon her fragile mentality. She feared that a step into the gardens may unleash a torrent of emotions that would destroy her within.

So she chose to haunt Disney Castle, wander from room to room, occasionally run into someone she knew – Merlin, Pluto, Naminé, Lady Daisy, Queen Minnie, Donald, Goofy, maybe even Riku – but she always fled at the sight of Tetsu; she couldn't stand being in the presence of someone who awoke those recollections, the mental memoirs she had hidden away. But even a glimpse of him uncovered yet another memory so she simply avoided the places she heard him to be. And so she went, a lifeless Princess of Heart, wandering the white gleaming castle followed by memories that taunted her, tortured her.

_They stayed at Disney Castle for nearly a month. In between they visited Destiny Islands, met with the rest of the Islands gang in Traverse Town and discussed tactics with their friends there, and simply relaxed in that strange period of silence. It was a peace she wish had never ended._

" What would it be like?" Kairi asked herself, looking out the windows as she walked down the hallway to the left of the Throne Room. " What would it be like if I lived yesterday…before Axel came? Yesterday, I would've been with Sora, yesterday everything would've been quiet and peaceful, but yesterday became today, without you. Today I'm walking this road…without you. What would tomorrow bring?"

Her quiet footsteps brought her to an old cobblestone staircase in an obscure location in the empty hallway. She turned to the staircase as though it was in front of her case; quite well did she know where to find it, where it led. It did not matter. She must see.

" Sora," she whispered, suddenly seeing him dash down the spiraling staircase, seeing Riku and herself follow him down, seeing King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy trail behind. They ran past her down into the cold darkness, leaving her to breathe heavily, trying to catch her breath as though she was chasing after the dreams. " Sora, why'd we go down there? Why'd he go down there and make us follow? Why is it that all I see now are dreams of you in a world without you? Why, Sora, why-oh."

She had arrived at it. The secret within the basement of Disney Castle. A dusty wooden door, with veins of glowing power in the form of a keyhole, boarded up to prevent intruders. If the layers of wood couldn't keep them out, the glowing keyhole most definitely would.

But that wasn't why she stopped talking to herself.

" Hey," Tetsu said with a faint, weary smile. He was studying a painting near the door, a dark panting known as _Raft of the Medusa_, painted by one Theodore Gericault. The image depicted men on a flinty raft in the midst of a stormy sea, creating a human triangle to gain notice by a small dot in the horizon – a ship – while dead bodies floated around them. Apparently he was able to hear her footsteps echo down the spiral and her talking.

" Wh-what are you doing here?" she asked shakily, looking quickly at the door, then at the painting – it gave her chills – and then at Tetsu himself. The brilliant blue eyes were a painful reminder of the person she was talking to and it hurt her heart. " Why are you here?"

" Well…I was wandering the castle grounds and found a staircase hidden in one of the halls here. I followed it down to this dusty, dark place and found a very interesting painting. By the way, you wouldn't happen to know where that door leads to, do you?"

He pointed to the door and Kairi felt her stomach drop, pulling her heart with her. A memory started to resurface from the locked album of memories within her and she turned away, forcing it back in.

" I take it something happened?"

" Something!" she shouted, turning around. Her voice caught in her throat; the cry echoed down the dark hall. Tetsu eyed the gloom, then looked back at her shaking form.

" Who does it involve?"

" Stop it, Tetsu."

" Stop what?"

" Just stop it! Just shut up and go away! Just…just go away."

He crossed his arms tightly and frowned at her. " I can't just…go away, you know."

" Why don't you just teleport yourself then? Teleport the hell out of the basement and leave me alone!" she yelled at him, feeling the tears come yet again.

" Kairi-"

" Stop it, stop saying my name, that's enough!" she screamed and ran for the stairs out of this hellhole, away from the dreams that haunted her day and night.

" Kairi, wait!" Someone grabbed her arm and pulled her back. She fell against him, tried to push off and flee, but his hold was stronger. She tried to shake his grip off of her arm but he held on, listening to her scream and rage at him, her pain-filled cries echoing through what she called the basement. " Kairi, please! Are you going to keep up like this, just keep running away?"

Halfway through her fit Kairi froze, tears still streaming down her pale face. She suddenly felt weak, could only whisper, " Running away?"

" If you haven't realized it, as most people never do, that's exactly what you were doing. You were running away from your memories, from every single thing that reminded you of _him_. You walk around Disney Castle, restless because of what it reminded you of yet tied to it because of those memories. You avoided people because they knew him just as you did and you…avoided me because I…I look and act like him. You were just running away, Kairi, and that's going to get you nowhere."

She trembled, took in a shaky breath, and made a fist. " I'm _not_ running away. I'm just…just…"

" What, walking around like a pale ghost, pretending not to see people?" Skeptical sarcasm dripped from his voice. " Keep on acting like this and you're getting nowhere in life. You'll never break free of the pains of the past and you'll never find him. And even if you do…he'll never recognize you for whom you've become."

Kairi froze again. She then whirled around, wrenching her arm out of his grip, and glared at him. " Say that again?"

" I said," Tetsu said with infinite, harsh patience, " that if we do find him, he'll never recognize you for whom you've become. This isn't you, Kairi, and I know it. I can tell, I can sense it. Many people have become what they aren't and it's destroyed their very lives."

" Well, that's interesting coming from someone who doesn't know who he is."

" At least I don't run away from that problem! I'm here trying to look for Sora so I can figure out who I am!"

" Well why don't you do that and leave our problems alone? Isn't this enough, Tetsu? You're pushing your nose into everyone's business, don't you know that? You've become a burden to the royal court because of your complete disregard for royalty, you've totally made out Vincent Valentine into a fool the only time you ever met him, you've made Riku on-edge all the time now, you've ridiculed Goofy, you've pissed off Donald, you've mocked Auron for being 'old', you _hate_ Pluto-" the yellow dog slowly padded up from the shadows of the hall's far end and sat near them, looking sad "-and you're pushing it too far into _my_ personal life! Stay out of it, Tetsu, and while you're at it, why don't you clean up your act with everyone else? You think you're so high and mighty because you get to use two Keyblades and can teleport whenever you want but wait until you meet Sora, wait until you know what a real Keyblade Wielder's like, and you'll be sorry for even _breathing_ in this lifetime!"

She breathed heavily, glared daggers at him, while he seemed to have backed off, quite stunned by her explosion. Tears of anger were falling but she knew she was near collapse; she couldn't take it anymore. If anything, today was bringing her to the brink of insanity; she so desperately longed for yesterday, when Sora still existed in the Universe.

She longed for the impossible. It would never happen.

Her knees gave way and she crumbled to the cold stone floor, sobbing, hating her own weakness but desperately in need of help. It was getting harder, life was getting harder. Tetsu was right, after all; she _was_ running away from her memories of him, of the younger days, but she wanted Tetsu out of her life, wanted him to stop reminding her of the only person she longed for. And she cried because no one knew what became of _him_, nobody knew where _he_ went, whether or not _he_ was alive…

She felt someone kneel down beside her, felt fingers light just under her chin and tilt her face up. Through her blurry vision she saw blue eyes staring back at her; then fingers wiped away the streaming tears. In the dimness of the long-abandoned basement, his eyes shone like beacons of fiery blue firelight.

" Sometimes I feel I don't deserve to live in this lifetime, to exist," Tetsu said softly, as she sniffed and turned away, closing her eyes tightly to keep in tears and keep out memories. " But that's what life gave us. And we might as well make the best of it. There's darkness and there's light in every life, Kairi, but most things are in shades of gray. You've…been expecting too much of the light; that is why your heart hurts in the darkness amplified by your despair."

Pluto butted Kairi on the shoulder, whimpered.

" Maybe…maybe if you just…let it out, you know, just talk about your memories, maybe your heart wouldn't hurt so much," he continued, tracing the dust with his finger. " Some fresh air, a change of scenery, and someone who'd listen to what your heart's been hiding from the rest of the world, whatever secrets you've been holding within. Truth is Kairi, with the way things are, keeping the memories inside is going to kill you. Let it out, Kairi. He…Sora would've wanted it that way."

No hatred. She couldn't feel angry with him bringing up Sora anymore. She was too tired, too tired of standing alone for two years, too tired of hiding away her memories of the naïve, wild-haired boy from her childhood. She was too tired of crying at every dream, every nightmare of him, too tired of the fear that came with the loss of his presence in her heart. She wanted help, she wanted someone to stand with her, to help her find Sora…and stop all the pain, all the sorrow she felt.

" Come with me."

Those words. She looked up at the hand held out to her.

" Where…"

" Just come. Take my hand, Kairi."

She slowly reached out and his warm hand clasped around her cold one.

" But where…"

" Don't talk. Just follow."

She did silently. She staggered a bit at the first steps; her limbs had grown numb but Pluto pressed against her and brought warmth back into them. He then loped to the front and bounded up the stairs. Tetsu followed him, keeping a firm hold on her hand.

Silently and swiftly they scaled the spiraling staircase and out into the hall. He didn't stop; he kept walking at a brisk pace, bringing her to a run.

" Tetsu-"

" Oh hush; will anyone _ever_ follow to my directions?"

She couldn't help but smile as he dragged her to a door. The smile suddenly dropped; that door led to the west gardens. She opened her mouth, then quickly closed it when Pluto, already at the door, looked straight at her – straight at her! – and yipped what sounded like a warning.

_Even Pluto's against me! Did they collaborate on this or what?_ Kairi was absolutely bewildered. Even with the way Tetsu treated him, Pluto still stuck to his side, still helped him.

Tetsu simply nodded to the dog as he opened the door and pulled her outside for the first time in days. She gasped as a breeze rustled through her long red hair, bringing to her the scent of garden roses, lilies, and white blossoms that smelt of honey. She had almost forgotten…

Tetsu slowed as he stepped onto a thin cobblestone trail that meandered through the wilderness-like west gardens; there seemed to be barely any civilization here. Not even the walls could be seen thanks to the tall trees lined up against them. A manmade – or mousemade, either one really – stream trickled through the trail and through the thick blanket of flowers artfully and wildly arranged to imitate wildlife. There was only one fountain and it didn't spurt water like other fountains in other gardens did; the fountain could be called, in other words, a waterfall. There was even a good-sized hill in the west gardens and that Kairi knew well, along with the tall willow tree that stood a lone sentry over the grass-swept knoll. It was high, high enough to give one a good view of the stars during the night.

Tetsu suddenly stopped and she walked right into him.

" Keep this up and you'll never survive on the battlefield," Tetsu mused, letting her hand go. She pulled away, rubbed her arm with it. Suddenly she missed the warmth of his hand, then realized what it was that was running through her mind, and flushed slightly. Tetsu didn't seem to notice, was looking around the gardens.

" I always admired this garden," he admitted, with some reluctance. He seemed to be the type who played 'hard to get' when it came to compliments. " Unlike the others, this one's disorganized. I don't like organization, especially with gardens. Bores me."

" You could tell that to Lady Daisy," she murmured, looking around. She had never found butterflies so beautiful.

" With the kind of person she is, I don't plan to anytime soon."

She stifled a giggle, watched Pluto run about, yapping after blue butterflies and the occasional squirrel or chipmunk that wasn't Chip or Dale. There was a beautiful quiet to the west gardens, a serene silence she found relaxing.

Kairi suddenly felt eyes upon her and looked to her right. Tetsu was watching her and there was an uncertain smile on his face. It was a smile, nonetheless, and those didn't come easily with the man; he was either emotionless, frowning, grimacing, growling, or smiling with either sadistic pleasure or sarcasm. But this smile, it was different…

" What?"

He turned his head, looked at the trees. " Talk. Tell me something, anything about your memories, about the things that remind you of what happened here two years ago. Talk if you will, take as long as you want, as long as you don't run away or start crying."

She blinked at his conditions. " And if I do?"

His reply? " You'll regret it."

She looked thoughtful, as she stared into the distance. Well, not the distance, really, she was looking up at the hill, where she and Sora went after the midnight dance. There he told her she was beautiful, made it certain that there was more between them, especially when he promised never to leave her…

" About the door…"

" What door?"

" The one at the basement."

" Oh…"

" That door…holds the light of Disney Castle. It's greatly treasured by those who live here and those who hate King Mickey. Those who live here will die to protect it; his enemies will die to get their hands on it. But that's not all. Behind the door…is another door. It's never been opened before and there are only stories and rumors that explain what's behind it. It's not the Door of Light but it's something just as powerful. And…that's where it all ended."

" _Axel, this is your last chance!" Riku shouted, swinging the Soul Eater threateningly before pulling it back into a fighting stance. It looked strange, an Organization member fighting against an Organization member but that's what had become of Riku._

" _Last chance? Are you mad? You brought me here, Riku; this is my last chance to open that door, not to turn tail and flee like all those other members!" Axel spat, holding his arms out. Kairi gasped as fire blazed in his hands and Fire and Wind wheels materialized._

" _Oh crap," Sora swore, lowering into fighting stance with his Keyblade. " Kairi, stay back!"_

_Donald and Goofy jumped forward, each holding their respective weapons. So did King Mickey, flashing his Sword of Disney, the one Sora said he saw in his dream a year and a half ago._

" _Where are you going, Princess?" Axel cackled, his cat-like green eyes landing on her. The gaze seared into her mind and she cringed._

" _Hey you, stop looking at her and look at me!" Sora yelled, jumping in front of her. " Leave Kairi out of this!"_

" _How can I? I only need her heart and whatever lies behind the door is mine!" he barked._

" _You fool!" King Mickey snapped. " If you open that door, you'll kill us all!"_

" _Not without a heart of a Princess of Heart," Axel countered, taking a step forward towards Sora and her. Kairi widened her eyes; with that one step, sparks of fire flew. " If I had a heart with me, I would be the only one standing in this Castle, safe and sound. Just give up, Keyblade Master; you'll never stand a chance against me!"_

" _You've got more than him to face!" Riku snapped as he, Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey appeared in front of the two. " I may not be as fast or as skilled as you, Axel, but I'm just as strong. And I've got help, so you'd better think twice about laying a finger on Kairi!"_

" _Try me, Riku. I'd like to see."_

" _Oh I will."_

_The silver-haired teenager bolted forward and sparks flew as the Soul Eater crashed against the Fire and Wind Wheels._

" _Sora!" King Mickey yelled as he, Donald, and Goofy bounded forward to join the fray. " Get Kairi out of here; it's too dangerous for her to stay any longer!"_

" _That way!" Donald waved his staff at the corridor just past the light of Disney Castle. " Freeze!"_

_Sora, turning pale, nodded. He turned to Kairi. " C'mon, we've got to get you out of here."_

" _But Sora, I-"_

_He grabbed her by the hand and pulled her around the corner and away from the dark room where fire clashed with ice and shields and two swords. Up the stairs they went and down the long corridor to the wide-open wooden door._

" _Now listen, Kairi," Sora said, breathing heavily as he pulled her towards the door, " you've got to go up and to the gummi ship garage. Do you know where that is?"_

_She nodded meekly; she had lived at Disney Castle long enough to know where the kitchen was at midnight on a new moon with the power out. " But Sora-"_

" _Go to Chip and Dale and tell them that King Mickey is sending you home immediately. They'll have a mini ship ready for you. Get into the mini ship; it's self-navigating. Once you get to Destiny Islands, get out of the mini ship. In one minute it'll self-destruct. Don't take the train, Kairi; stay at Destiny Islands. Wait for Riku and me to finish off Axel. We'll come back."_

" _I can't leave you!" Kairi cried as they stood before the door out of the room. " We've only been together a month after a year of waiting. Why can't we all just go home, Sora?"_

" _I'm sorry, Kairi," Sora said quietly, looking at the floor. " I'm sorry it had to be this way. But you have to go."_

_She nodded, ever so slightly. " Okay…" she whispered and turned to go. But then, despite the urgency of the situation, of the threat that lay down the corridor behind Sora, something bubbled up in her. She looked at Sora full on the face, saw the look, and felt ready to cry. She had never seen Sora look so torn._

" _Kairi, just go." His voice, quiet, solemn, laced with pain, echoed down the basement hall behind her._

_It was now or never. " Sora, I-"_

_In one swift motion, he dropped his Keyblade and wrapped both arms around her, pulling her against him. His lips pressed against hers and a sensation swept through her, made her completely vulnerable, made her dizzy, made the world around them fade away. It was just the two of them, alone in a world that only appeared to lovers but never lasted longer than wished._

_He pulled back, flushing red, but told her, with all due honesty that could be mustered by his very soul, " Don't worry, Kairi. I'll come back, I promise, no matter what happens. Remember that."_

_Tears were falling. His voice rang in her ears, felt his presence on her lips. She nodded again, then cried out, " Never forget, Sora, wherever you are, I'm always with you!"_

_He was crying, too, as he gently pushed her out through the door and slowly closed it. She turned away, sobbing. And when she finally came to her senses, she staggered for the stairs, but not before looking back one last time._

_The door was not there. It seemed to have never existed._

**Author's Endnote**: If you want a good short version of the rules of please go look up 'fanfiction' on Wikipedia. Now, please click the 'Review' button! Tell me, did you cry?


	10. Wherever You Will Go

**Author's Note: **Next chapter basically is the beginning of the journey for Kairi and the other three traveling with her. But there's some surprises waiting in store, some pleasant, some not so pleasant. Ready?

**Copyrights**: The plot is mine, mine, mine. All characters are owned by Square-Enix and Disney. Woe is me.

**Rain of Sorrow**

**Chapter 9: Wherever You Will Go**

" Alright, now listen up!" Auron said, pacing around the royal lounge. " We're going to Hollow Bastion first in order to pick up the latest updates concerning the worlds _remaining_ in this universe, understand?"

He glared down at the people who occupied the endless numbers of chairs and couches of all sizes scattered all throughout the dimly lit room. The royal lounge was the newest addition to the castle, a room made entirely for being lazy. Queen Minnie explained that it was Goofy's wish that such a room be built for relaxing. That was before Lady Daisy quipped that Goofy was prodded by Sora to make such a request.

Kairi had smiled at such a request. She could see why. _Sora, you lazy bum…_

" And why are we going there again?" Riku yawned as he stretched down on a light green couch. If Riku had developed any serious quirks, it was that eating made him very sleepy and sluggish, be it breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a snack.

" I _said_ we're going there to pick up the latest updates on the worlds in the universe," the older man snapped, his patience growing incredibly thin. " We're also checking up on the other Princesses of Heart-" Kairi looked up at this "-because we managed to salvage most of their bodies. Belle's body remains in Fabled Countryside and Jasmine's in Agrabah. Cid's been instructing Leon and Cloud in such matters concerning their deep-sleep state-"

" Why? Are they expecting to find something out of them?" Naminé asked curiously as she sketched in her book. " You know they cannot be awakened until their hearts are returned to them."

" This concerns Ansem's Thirteenth Report," King Mickey stepped in. " His descriptions of the body being cast off, of Riku's reports on DiZ, and why some can function without a heart but others can't."

" We're the Princesses of Heart, though," Kairi found herself whispering. " Without the heart, we are nothing. That's what makes us…us. Our hearts are so much more vital to us than most others. If we don't have our hearts, we are simply sleeping bodies, unable to awake, unable to even change."

" So you're suggesting that those bodies 'literally' remain in 'state', not even being able to age?" Lady Daisy demanded. " Like, if Aurora's lost her heart and gets stuck in her castle for a whole millennia, she won't change a bit?"

The auburn-haired girl nodded. " Yes, that's what it is. We're simply lost without our hearts."

She placed a hand over hers, sighing.

" Well, thanks for the revelations," Donald muttered.

Silence…until Goofy began to snore.

" Now, Lady Daisy's supplied all of you with necessities for your journey," King Mickey said slowly, taking center stage. " We're also giving you munny for extra purchases. Please be careful with what you buy; unless you meet a kind stranger, a king bestows his treasury upon you, you break into the Cave of Wonders, or pickpocket strangers, you will not receive more munny. Our treasury's straining due to damage suffered through the years in every corner of the universe. I am sorry we cannot give you more."

" Whatever you give is most welcome," Auron said. " However, once we get to Traverse Town, be careful when buying some newly invented potions from three little terrors-" Donald snorted "-because I simply don't trust them. If you're in need of some new clothing, there are stores at Hollow Bastion and Traverse Town. From there we will follow the Heartless and Nobodies trails. Remember to be on guard every minute, even now."

The last two words rang ominously and everyone shifted uncomfortably.

" Rightly said," Merlin bowed. " Even with our high walls, we cannot keep all danger out."

Kairi shuddered, while Riku and Naminé shifted uneasily in their seats.

" There is…one other thing I think you need to hear from King Mickey," Queen Minnie suddenly spoke up, most likely upon seeing Merlin wander to an ornately carved wooden bookcase. She then nodded to her king, who cleared his throat to catch _everyone_'s attention and spoke, " Be on the lookout for Pete."

" Pete? You don't mean _General_ Pete, do you?" Tetsu suddenly spoke, startling everyone. He had not spoken, had not uttered a single word since he returned with Kairi from the west gardens.

" General Pete?" Donald echoed. " How do you know him?"

" I fought him," Tetsu said quietly, his brilliant blue gaze veiled from all probing eyes. " I met him on the outskirts of some world I don't know. Everything he threw at me couldn't stop me and so we started fighting. Then a hooded member of the Organization materialized and said, " General Pete, you've forgotten our plan." He vanished and this Pete person…ran off. I'm done explaining my part of the story; now it's yours."

He fell silently and leaned against the wall right next to the door, tight-lipped and leering.

" Pete…is my enemy, on a personal level," King Mickey said quietly. Everyone who originated from Disney Castle looked at him with some consternation. Queen Minnie bowed her head. " The last I've heard from him, he had allied himself with the likes of Hades and the Organization; he alone can control both the Heartless and the Nobodies. But general? That I don't know of. General of what?"

" Another question for the others at Hollow Bastion," Merlin remarked. " Auron, you must be careful; you are treading dangerous grounds now. What the Organization member said to Pete cannot be good. They are planning something…and whatever that is, it will go badly for us. Tetsu, have you nothing more to say on this matter?"

" If I knew, I'd have said it, wouldn't I?" Tetsu snorted. " Unfortunately that's all I heard. I'm going upstairs. Good night."

He suddenly disappeared.

" Jerk," Kairi muttered under her breath as she slumped down on the couch. " Who gave _him_ the leave to go off like that?"

_I know he's tried to help me…but I think there's more to what he's been trying to do. Is he trying to funnel information from me? I know next to nothing about him, really; every question I ask about him he gives a vague answer. Why do I even bother? Is it because he looks like Sora, fights like him? Or is because I'm hoping he's who he denies himself to be…_

" My question exactly," Donald nodded with approval. Goofy, who could care less, shrugged and lumbered to the door.

" He's not here, though," Goofy remarked, opening the door and peeking outside. " Wow…where'd he learn to do that?"

" Another thing he'll never tell us, I suppose," Merlin provided for an answer. " I have to admit, though, that he is right; it is time we retire for the night. In the morning we will see you off. Good night."

He pushed a knob on the bookcase and – to everyone's amazement except for those who knew the planning of the lounge – the bookcase revolved on some axle built into the wall, revealing a room behind it. Merlin strode in as the bookcase continued to spin, until it locked back into its original position. Merlin had never been in this room.

" Very well. Move it while King Mickey and I make some last-minute preparations," Auron nodded. " If I catch any fooling around, you'll be sorry."

All the remaining teenagers, who were rolling their eyes, rose and went out the door, pushing along Goofy, while Donald and Lady Daisy followed. Queen Minnie remained until King Mickey nodded to her to go.

" I want you to keep a good eye on Tetsu, Auron," King Mickey stated, looking up at the gilt clock above the revolving bookcase. " He seems to know more than the rest of us. You understand."

" Of course. Now, what I've been planning to do is…"

""

Naminé sighed as she slipped on her light green nightdress; it was one of the things she found neatly folded and cleaned in her white dresser. Placing her sketchbook and pencil on top of it, she looked at herself once more in the tall mirror.

Staring back was a tall, slim pale young woman with long wavy locks of blonde hair and light blue eyes. She studied herself, wondered how she could bring more color into her and rid herself of the ethereal, ghostly appearance that she had taken on during her captivity in Castle Oblivion years ago.

" Wherever I go, you stay a shadow haunting me," she whispered, touching the mirror. " Why can't you let me be?"

She sighed, looking down on the dresser, at the sketchbook. Her mind traced over the forbidden images brought to life on her paper but without her magic touch that would make it a reality.

There, deep within the pages, burned the terrible image of Castle Oblivion, where catastrophic events happened, guided by her hand. A hand that she desperately turned about-face to counter every evil deed she had committed as forced by Marluxia.

" After everything I've done and everything I did, I'm still atoning for my sins," she murmured, closing her eyes. " I'm still making amends, Sora, for everything I've done to everyone around you. I'm sorry…"

_And for that I will remain as I am now, pale because of the darkness I had tried to instill in your heart, unreal because of the darkness I find in everyone close to you. I never meant to do the things I did to you, especially after what I've learned of you. And I pray for forgiveness, for redemption for the final act of evil I committed._

A crystalline tear fell. It hit her sketchbook and rolled off of it onto the dresser, a solid crystal in the likeness of a teardrop. The sounds forced Naminé to open her eyes and she realized what she had done. And then she heard more sounds from behind her.

She looked up at the mirror. Someone was behind her, in her room.

Whirling around, she leaned against the dresser and found, to her relief, that it was only Riku.

Only Riku? How long was he there, listening to her talk to herself?

" What-what are you doing here?" she asked, her voice a bare whisper. She wondered if Riku could hear it.

' I just want to talk, Naminé," he said. " Don't be frightened."

" How long were you standing here?"

" Not long enough. Why were you like that in front of the mirror?" he asked, worry crossing over his face.

" I…" How can she explain everything to him? " I was just thinking…"

" About what?" he asked, cocking his head to one side.

" About things…" she admitted, looking out the tall windows and staring at the half moon high in the night sky. She followed the white gold rays until her eyes fell upon the tall teenager. The moonlight gave him an eerie glow. " Many things…"

Riku looked out the window, too. " Me, too."

Naminé sighed and willed herself past him to her bed. She sat on it, stared at her feet. " You know you're not supposed to be here. What will Auron do?"

" Nothing, he won't know," Riku smirked, closing the door behind him. Naminé jumped as the door clicked shut.

_What's he going to do?_ A thousand and one unpleasant thoughts rushed through her mind. _Is this payment for my sins?_

Instead – and to her relief – Riku simply walked to and sat on one of the two chairs in the room, the one facing both the bed and the windows. He slouched in it, stared out at the east gardens, and sighed.

" Is there something you want to talk about?" Naminé prodded, knowing that Riku was in here for a reason. He always had a reason, and if he came to her, there was something serious going through his mind.

" It's just something…something I heard about being a wielder of a Keyblade," Riku admitted. " While I was passing by the King's study yesterday, I overheard a discussion about…the heart of a Keyblade Wielder."

" You were eavesdropping? Riku…"

" I didn't mean to but…King Mickey was talking about me a bit. He said I was one of the Keyblade Wielders. He still has faith in me, Naminé, even though I don't," Riku said, looking straight at her. She shivered; she had never seen such a sad look on his face before. " Sora and King Mickey never gave up on me, even if I gave up on myself. Why?'

" Maybe…maybe they saw something in you, something you haven't discovered yourself," Naminé answered thoughtfully. " Sometimes people don't see the goodness in them; they are blind to what makes them shine."

" I'm not blind," Riku protested instantaneously. " I'm just…I don't know. Look, you think I can wield the Keyblade but-but I've done too much, Naminé. I'm tainted, I'm evil…"

Riku stared at his hands, then dropped his head. His long silver hair shrouded his face but the moonlight caught a single tear.

" No you're not," she countered softly, standing up and crossing over to the other chair. She sat down, took Riku's hand, and held it in both her hands. " You're not Riku; with your hands you've done more than you could think possible. We all know you've done regrettable things but you've made up for them. Riku you destroyed the Organization from the inside, fought with Sora, and you know none of this would have never happened if you never fought the demon in you."

Riku looked up at the pale teenager.

" You were the one who chose to fight Ansem. You accepted him because of Kairi…and then you fought him because you realized that what you were doing was wrong. At least you managed to atone for your sins…"

Her voice failed her and she lowered her head, preferring to stare at his hand rather than face his piercing blue-green eyes. Her fingers trailed along the bones and muscles, felt the hard calluses on the palm of his hand. Icy warmth pulsed underneath the scarred skin; already her mind was sketching and shading the study in her hands.

His hand suddenly shifted; the wrist turned and he held her right hand tightly. Naminé looked up, startled. She found herself pierced by the gaze she tried to avoid.

" You did a whole lot of good, too," Riku said, watching her shift uneasily in her seat. They were so close and yet to him she remained a mystery encased in ice. Her hand was cold; behind her eyes were tall walls that hid her secrets.

" That's easy for you to say," she countered. " Your wrongs are easy to right. The mind is a person's last resort, Riku, and when you play with that, you have committed the worst of sins. I've lived with that for so long…it follows me, wherever I go. Wherever I go…"

She looked away, out the window. It was deep night; she couldn't see the moon anymore.

" I could say the same. I turned the minds of everyone I loved against me, made the Darkness want me; now I don't know…I don't know what people think of me now, what runs through their minds when they cross paths with me. Naminé, what do you think? When you see me, what goes through your mind?"

The question echoed; he wanted so desperately to change his image but he didn't know if he could.

_I could ask the same, Riku; I could ask you the same. Two lost people, dirtied by their deeds, wanting to make amends but knowing they could never._

" I see…a reborn soldier, fighting for everything his friends stood for. I-I see someone who…sorry about this…seems lost." She turned her head slightly to study his expression. " You came home but you're as lost as ever. Why, Riku, why?"

" All I am…is a lost ship at sea, looking for the lighthouse that'll take me back home," he huffed. " Even though I don't know what home is."

" You have one, Riku," Naminé whispered. " It's called Destiny Islands. It's called your parents. It's called your friends. You still have those things. You still have everything going for you. I don't."

Her hand fell limp; there were tearstains on her pale face. They glistened ominously in the starlight.

" I'm still here, Naminé." Both his hands took hers and held it tight. " I'm your friend. So are the others here. Wherever you go, we'll be there."

" Wherever I go…"

" I'll be there, Naminé. I'll always be there, until you redeem yourself and find a place you can call home. I…I promise."

She turned back to him and smiled. It was sad but still a smile.

" Thank you."

''

Riku sat silently, a hand stroking her long blonde hair. She had fallen asleep in the silence that followed and he pulled their chairs together, so she could use his shoulder as a headrest. Her slow breathing brought a sense of peace he had not expected.

He thought he could tell her, lighten the load on his mind, but the words wouldn't come out. Couldn't come out.

_There's something I cannot say. It's been in there, growing in my mind. It frightens me. I'll admit it, Naminé; it scares me. It's starting to feel like that presence in my mind when I was climbing up through the basements of Castle Oblivion. It's the presence that won't let me accept myself for who I am._

And in the furthest corner of his mind, he could hear the last echoes of Ansem's laughter.

""

"…Heartless activity near Hollow Bastion? Do you have any idea…"

"…because I'm king does not mean I'm omnipotent…"

Tetsu could not resist a smirk but buried it under his stony expression once Pluto, who doggedly followed him everyone, looked up at him with a grin.

_Stupid dog. Why the hell does he like me? I don't even know this mangy mutt and he even sleeps at the foot of my bed! I thought he was the king's dog, not mine! Stupid dog._

Pluto wagged his tail some. Then he – and Tetsu knew he was not imagining things – winked at the man and loped forward to Kairi, who was walking with Queen Minnie and Goofy.

" Oh hello Pluto," Kairi smiled, petting the dog. " And why are you here?"

Pluto was looking at _him_! Kairi followed the dog's gaze and spotted him as well. She glared at him, then turned to Pluto and said, " You don't have to stick with him. He doesn't care about you, Pluto. He doesn't care about anyone."

What Tetsu found more irritating was that Queen Minnie and Goofy amazingly ignored the exchange in their discussion about the new gummi ship Chip and Dale had built for them following some mysterious disasters in the garage.

_I don't care about anyone? Look who's talking; at least I kept her from turning into some miserable teary-eyed princess sticking on to some stupid memories!_

He eyed the rest of the group heading for the train station; Riku hung back with King Mickey and Auron while Naminé was at the very front with Lady Daisy and Donald. And Merlin was off in his own little world a good several feet up front, humming and traipsing as he remained the only one who drew near the train station.

And Tetsu? He was on his own, too. It was pretty true he didn't quite care for anyone but that only applied to those who weren't exactly helping him. He just had this strange obligation to help out Kairi and he didn't even know why.

_I guess we'll see where the road goes from here. Will these people help me or hinder me? If the latter, I'm leaving this lot._

The train station loomed into view. Merlin, who was up ahead, had already purchased the five tickets and was waving them about. Tetsu sighed and decided to ignore him, climbing up the steps and sitting on one of the benches lining the yellow 'Do Not Cross Until Train Comes to Full Stop'. It was cold; he could feel the early-morning chill seeping through his black trench coat. He lowered his head and decided to catch a few more minutes of sleep. Reading that journal was a bad idea.

_Ansem's Thirteenth Report bothers him. It's the idea of the body being able to exist without its heart that won't leave him alone. But he won't say why. Is he denying something? Is the Keyblade Master hiding something?_

A train whistle. It was coming. They were finally leaving Disney Castle, finally heading out to the worlds out there, to look for Sora, the hearts of the other six Princess, to find answers that each and every person was looking for.

" Finally," he muttered as he opened his eyes and stood up. Absentmindedly brushing at his trench coat, he turned around to alert everyone. All he got, though, was a glare from Kairi. Utterly miffed, he turned his back on her and simply announced, " Train's here. Let's go."

''

There was a reason the train station was surprisingly rather empty. The train itself was incredibly full.

" Are this many people going to Hollow Bastion?" Kairi heard Naminé wonder in surprise as she pushed through the crowd of people. Many were busily chatting, others were reading the morning newspaper freely given by the Highwind Express. She even spotted a blond teenager with a _tail_?

He seemed to have noticed her stare at his extra appendage; he turned and winked at her. She flushed and turned away, focusing instead on pushing through the masses for a seat.

" We should stick close," she barely heard Auron say over the roar of the people. He was saying something else but that got lost over the loudspeaker: _The Highwind Express is now departing from Disney Castle. This will be a non-stop 12-hour trip; we will reach Hollow Bastion at approximately 6:00 P.M._ Then she heard Auron mention, " Given the number of people on this train, we stand at a greater chance for a Heartless strike."

She felt herself go pale; this train was a Heartless magnet!

She looked around wildly and found she was unable to see Auron, Naminé, Riku, or Tetsu. They had all disappeared; she was being shoved around by people as the train slowly pulled out of the station. She couldn't even reach the windows to wave 'Goodbye' to the king and queen of Disney Castle. Murmurs drifted to her ear from those who were at the windows; they were passing along a message about the royal troupe who were at the train station. And then everyone was shoving her against others, practically sandwiching her as the ones in the seats tried to shove her away while the people behind her pushed her towards the windows.

" Ow…people, please…" she winced, trying to breathe. Then someone grabbed her left arm and pulled her through the sea of people. She closed her eyes tightly as she pushed through people, coats, bags, and whatnot sticking on the outside of people – like that gold pocket watch with a swinging chain – until she didn't feel so claustrophobic anymore.

She blinked, looking around and feeling a bit startled at the sudden emptiness.

" They're all crowded 'long the windows so you might as well nab one of their seats." It was that blond teenager with the tail. " It's one of the tricks of the trade: if you have the chance, go get it. They're all watching the king and queen of Disney Castle so you're free to steal their seat."

Kairi nodded dumbly, couldn't keep her eyes off his tail.

" Name's Zidane. I live at Hollow Bastion. You?"

He had a dagger on his belt, that and a pouch full of something that looked like munny.

" Me? I-I'm Kairi. I'm just…visiting Hollow Bastion."

" Kairi? Hm…your name seems familiar. What do you do for a living?"

" I'm…um…a high school senior."

" A what?"

" A student. A student at a high school."

" You go to school?"

" Yes?"

" Then why are you going to Hollow Bastion?"

Should she tell him, explain something to him? Would that help her?

" Confidential business so knock it off and leave her alone," someone behind her snapped. Someone grabbed her right arm and made to pull her away.

" Hey, let me go!" she snapped, whirling around and shoving Tetsu.

" I don't want you to tell people what our business is with Hollow Bastion. And he's a pickpocket so you'd better stay away from him." Tetsu grabbed her arm again and pulled her away before she could protest. Zidane was staring at him oddly.

" Um, sorry about that!" she called out before the train had successfully pulled out of Disney Castle and gave people the incentive to return to their seats.

Tetsu continued to pull her along until they reached the very back of the train. Here it was incredibly empty, besides a doddery old couple who were dozing on the seat to the right of the compartment. Tetsu pushed her into the seat opposite of the old couple and set himself stiffly next to her. His blue eyes narrowed as he scanned the train.

" What was that for?" she demanded as soon as he relaxed. " You can't just butt into a conversation and drag me off like that!"

" Don't go around telling people what our business is with Hollow Bastion," was his cold reply. " So don't."

" And why'd you call him a pickpocket? How do you know?"

" I met him."

Kairi stared at him. " You what?"

" I met him. He stole something from me. I fought him to get it back. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a nap. If you move from your seat, you'll regret it."

He slouched in his seat and pushed his feet against the back of the seat in front of him. The woman sitting in it turned her head to protest but one look and she meekly backed down.

Kairi sighed and pressed her head against the window, watching the stars flash by as the train roared on. It seemed Tetsu's attitude was getting worse by the hour. What else could go wrong?

''

" We will be reaching Hollow Bastion in approximately two hours. Thank you."

Riku muttered something evil as he squirmed in his seat. Auron eyed him and he backed down.

_Just my luck I get the seat next to the old grouch_, Riku thought as he heard Naminé giggle from the other side of the older man. The three of them were sitting in a seat built for two and it was helping his behind none. He felt like his limbs were atrophying and his muscles ached.

He didn't know where Kairi and Tetsu were but could easily guess that they were together somewhere else in this damn crowded train. He felt his insides squirm at the thought of them together but knew well enough to know that Kairi didn't like him.

His thoughts instead turned to last night, when he had his little discussion with Naminé. It seemed she was seriously troubled by something she did, and it was not just what she had done at Castle Oblivion. From the way it seemed, Naminé had done something else, something she wouldn't say.

He leaned to the side to get a better view of her. She wasn't even touching her sketchbook; she was just sitting there staring at her feat, contemplating something that was going through her mind.

" Stay on the alert, you two," Auron muttered quietly, too quietly for everyone around them to hear. " King Mickey had received news that there was Heartless activity near the castle. This could go bad for us-"

" Attention passengers! Please return to your seats; we are experiencing some technical difficulties. Remain calm; we will restart the engine once the problem has been corrected and continue to our destination. Thank you."

The endless chatting dropped to noisy whispers as the passengers, most of whom were roaming the narrow aisle, returned hastily to the nearest seat, often pushing people into the sides of the train.

Riku stared out the window. Was it just him or was that what he though that is.

" That place looks familiar…" he murmured as the train screeched to a halt. Mist billowed, obscuring his view, and in the distance sparks flew from what he assumed to be Hollow Bastion.

" What did I tell you," Auron was saying. " Something was bound to happen."

" It's only a technical difficulty, Auron," Riku sighed, rolling his eyes. Paranoid git-

" That's not someone on this train," Naminé interrupted his train of thought. " Whoever made that announcement isn't part of the train staff."

" It could be just another person, Naminé," Riku countered, trying to alleviate the paranoia that Auron seemed to be passing onto the blonde teenager when there was a scream rocketing from the very front of the train.

" Explain that, Riku," Naminé said quietly, suddenly standing up. A card appeared in her hand. " Something's definitely wrong."

" I swear, if it _is_ the Heartless, I'll pray to Yevon tonight. If it's just some idiots fooling on the train, I'll pray to Yevon every day for the rest of my life," Auron spat. They both knew he hated the Heartless but they also knew he hated this 'Yevon' even more.

The man stood up, shrugging his right shoulder from his long red coat. " If it's a fight they want, we'll give 'em."

Riku stood up as well and now everyone was watching them. Riku wanted to take a look behind him, see if Kairi and Tetsu picked up the cue, but he knew that they weren't that dumb. He also knew he had to keep his eyes up front, because that was where the scream came from.

Then he felt as though a shadow had passed right over his head. And another. And another. The roof of the compartment was thick but he felt as though birds flew over his head and cast upon him that fleeting darkness that came with every bird that soared under the bright sun.

" They're on the roof," he whispered to Auron. " Be careful!"

The other passengers were shifting nervously in their seats. The looks the three standing passengers were sending to each other and to them were unsettling. It was as though they were expecting something bad to happen.

Riku felt pity for them. Some, he knew, were not getting off this train alive.

More shadows. He looked up, could feel them concentrating behind him. Why?

Auron guessed it already. He whirled around and his katana materialized abruptly in his hand. While people around them shrieked, he yelled out a warning.

" Kairi!"

Glass shattered. Flipping from the roof into the compartment weren't Heartless; they were the Dusk.

Riku could sense the Heartless. He was incapable of dealing with Nobodies.

" Everyone duck!"

Auron leaped forward, his katana flashing while Naminé tossed her card up into the air. Riku leaped onto the head of his seat and leaped over the two rows that separated him from the Nobodies, the Soul Eater flashing into his hand.

People were shrieking.

Auron had taken down two Dusk already and Riku had just pulled his Soul Eater out of the chest of another when bloodcurdling screams filled the air behind him.

" Heartless!"

And Highwind Express dissolved into total mayhem.

''

Tetsu had taken Auron's warning to heart, shoving Kairi into the corner of the back of the train before she had time to jump out with her staff in hand. Ignoring her gasp of pain, he continued to press her against the wall of the train, the Oblivion materializing in his right hand.

" Tetsu…you're…squashing…me…"

" Shut up!" he hissed and peeked over the seat in front of him.

Total mayhem. Auron and Riku were in the thick of the fight with the Nobodies while Naminé was dealing with what was starting to look like a Heartless massacre in the front. Red hearts were floating up while people's screams were continuously being cut off in the middle. Naminé was yelling, " Break the windows! Get off the train!" but she knew as well as he did that it was going to do them little good. Someone had to _kill_ the Heartless or all the running in the world won't save a soul. Or a heart for that matter.

Well, better outside the train than inside. Auron did need the room to swing his sword. He had already shorn off the tops of many a chair in the train already but the Nobodies were now using them to their advantage; the nimble white nemeses were bouncing all around him and Riku, evading the older man's longer, more dangerous sweeps but staying away from Riku, whose Soul Eater was making short work of those closest to him.

" Tetsu, get Kairi off the train!" Riku yelled as he stabbed a Dusk, spun around, and gashed another across the chest. " The Heartless are on the roof; the longer we stay the more they're going to gather!"

First priority: run, not fight. One of the things he'd rather not do but Kairi was a Princess of Heart. A hindrance to the rogue warrior.

He grabbed Kairi's hand and pulled her out of the seat. He turned to his immediate right; he had seen an exit that marked the very end of the train and decided that was the only way out of the train.

" Riku!" Kairi yelled; she didn't want to leave her friend behind.

" Go! We'll follow!" Auron shouted and she didn't protest.

Tetsu kicked down the door and pulled her down onto the train tracks. He looked on top of the train, just needed one look, and saw the Neo-Shadows massing on the roof. Currently they looked puzzled at the sudden disappearance of the Princess of Heart but the longer she stayed in one place, the faster the Heartless would locate her.

He spotted a strange spectacle to his right and pulled her along. They ran over rather rocky terrain, kicking along pebbles and larger stones; his toe met a rather bulky piece and he swore. She stumbled but managed to keep to her feet well as he dragged her along. Then strange, sparkly mist billowed in his face, obscuring his view.

" Tetsu!" Kairi called out too late.

Suddenly his left foot met air and they tumbled. He pulled her to him, held her tightly as they fell. Suddenly they were sliding onto a smooth, glassy surface. Now completely disorientated, Tetsu kept his eyes shut as they continued to slide on the strange plane.

" What…what happened?" he heard Kairi gasp. It seemed they had stopped. " Where are we-the Rising Falls."

He slowly opened his eyes, found himself staring at the strangest spectacle he had ever been witness to in his life. It was the total opposite of a waterfall; underneath the smooth, glassy exterior colored liquid rose to the top of a deep canyon. _The Rising Falls…_

His right arm hurt terribly. He tried to move it but it wouldn't budge. He turned his head and the first thing to cross his mind was: _Fuck, just my luck._

Kairi was staring up the walls of the Rising Falls. She was lying on Tetsu's right arm and seemed oblivious to it. That was until he moved his fingers; she sat up immediately and glared at him.

" Don't do that!" she snapped, rising to her feet.

Tetsu immediately turned away; she was still wearing her school uniform and the skirt wasn't exactly long enough…and given his position…

When he felt safe to turn his head, Kairi had gone a little ways, staring up at the floating pillars of stone. Some were moving up and down; others were moving side to side. There was a huge bulk of stone and from where he was lying on the floor, he could see bits of ancient ruins. A little further and there were more hovering pillars of stone, ending at another platform. Where that led, he didn't know.

" Where'd the Heartless go?" she asked no one in particular as she looked around, especially up. " What happened to the Highwind Express? What about the others?"

" I don't know, I don't know, and I don't know," Tetsu muttered, putting extra emphasis on the last part. " All I care about is the fact that we get to Hollow Bastion alive."

He staggered to his feet and then straightened himself. Looking as lively as ever – if that was even possible with someone like him – he strode to one of the floating stones and scrutinized it.

" How do we get up there?" Kairi wondered, staring up at the highest platform in the Rising Falls. " Are they trying to keep people out of Hollow Bastion or something, or is this a joke…"

It clicked in Tetsu's mind. He just didn't like it.

" How long was this here?" Kairi was wondering, staring up at the pillars. " I mean, if this place was built recently, I take this as a joke. Who'd want to come here, anyways-"

Arms suddenly wrapped around her waist and the ground suddenly dropped. Darkness rushed up in endless walls and her heart dropped in the endless night. Then light exploded and she was back on solid ground again. Just barely she noticed the marble arch and the pool of water, then the world spun. She staggered and the arms tightened, pulling her back into Tetsu.

Kairi broke his hold on her and whirled around, making a fist and socking him in the chest.

" Ow! What did I do?"

" Why'd you do that?" she snapped, breathing heavily. " You think that was funny? You think that was a joke? I nearly died, no thanks to your no-good teleporting, and you're just standing there not saying sorry!"

" Hey, you got any better ideas as to how to get up those pillars? That's the only way we'd get out of these damn falls."

" Well Tetsu, here's a lesson in manners and etiquette around _people_: warn me next time. Is that so hard to understand?"

She rubbed her shoulders, waiting for his answer. Tetsu merely smirked and strode past her, studying the next group of pillars that led to a huge platform. While she turned around and stared at him, her jaw dropping, he noted the dirtied marble arch and what looked like a pool. From there stairs rose to another platform and beyond that, in the far distance and covered partially in a haze, was a great bronze castle.

Hollow Bastion. Their first destination. How the hell were they gonna get there?

" How are we going to get there?" Kairi whispered, standing next to him and staring up at the castle. " They disabled the pulley system long ago…"

Tetsu looked down on her quizzically but let it pass; why bother?

" I can get us there…" Tetsu murmured. " I know how but-"

" If you plan to teleport again, I'm not going," Kairi interrupted. " Teleporting makes my stomach drop. And I don't plan on barfing."

" I can't anyways. Someone was clever enough to set up some anti-teleporting barrier around that castle. Must be because of the Organization."

" Then how do we get there?"

Tetsu smiled. " I know how…but you'll have to trust me on this."

" What's with that smile?" Kairi demanded. She knew something was up.

" I know how but I'm not explaining it. You'll just have to trust me."

Kairi opened her mouth, then closed it tightly. " Smart move, Tetsu. If I don't trust you, then what?"

" Well then, I think it's very sad that you've come with me this far and haven't learned to trust me yet," Tetsu remarked. " To put it shortly."

Kairi turned red. " That's-that's not it-"

" Trust me, Kairi. I know how to get us there."

Tetsu turned to her. He could see the hesitation in her blue eyes; should she trust him or should they find another way?

She sighed, looked ashamed at herself.

_Maybe I went a little too far messing with her…_

He watched her intently as she fought with herself.

Finally, slowly, she nodded. " Okay."

He stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her again. A breeze picked up and her long red hair brushed past his face.

" Your hair smells nice," he whispered in her ear. She flushed and bowed her head.

" In any case," she murmured, wanting to clear something up, " I trust you."

He smiled again. And then they were gone.

**Author's Endnote:** So how _did_ Tetsu get the both of them to Hollow Bastion, eh? Please review! Preferably long, lengthy, and in-depth, thank you!


	11. Memories are Just Memories

**Author's Note:** I'm so glad you people enjoy this story so much. It makes me feel so proud of my maturity with stories: they make sense! Anyways, just to let you know, if you have any questions at all, just post them in your reviews and I will answer them all on my livejournal account, which is listed in my Bio. Or just type 'Shirozora' into 'Search' and you're there. This is to not tangle with the administration and get all wordy before the story actually starts.

This chapter is rather lengthy, as a warning. REALLY lengthy.

**Copyright Notes:** All characters belong to Square-Enix and Disney with the exception of Tetsu because I don't know what the hell he is. Just for your information. And the plot is mine as well.

**Rain of Sorrow**

**Chapter 10: Memories are Just Memories**

He shook his head, spraying sweat, as he lowered into fighting stance again. The Neo-Shadow had melted into the shadows within the train compartment and given the number of seats on either side, it wasn't going to be easy spotting it.

" Behind you!" Auron barked and Riku whirled around, bringing up the Soul Eater as claws flew at him.

Something flashed and the Heartless dissolved into the air, a red heart soaring into the sky. Riku stumbled back, startled, as a young man with blond hair screeched to a stop on the floor. He flashed a grin to the both of them, then bolted forward again to slash at a Dusk. A dagger stabbed into it and it dissolved as well, leaving a blue heart to follow the red one up into the sky.

" What the hell!" Riku yelled. " Who the hell are you?"

" Name's Zidane!" he called out. " Nice to meet you; they should be on their way now so we'll be holding up for a few more-look out!"

He bolted forward as Naminé, who had been holding up the rear very well, suddenly collapsed. Before the Heartless could get to her he was there, slashing with his dagger. They backed up quickly as he continued to fight them off.

" No! Naminé!" Riku ran to her and knelt down. Her face was paler than usual and her breathing was shallow. Sweat dotted her forehead.

" She's overexerted herself!" Auron exclaimed as he pulled up the katana to slice two Neo-Shadows in half. " Great, now we've got these bastards _and_ her to watch over!"

Sudden silence. The Heartless and Dusk suddenly disappeared.

" What's going on?" Riku whispered, still kneeling by Naminé's form.

All the windows were shattered; stuffing spilled out of the seats. The carpeted flooring was shredded; the poles scattered throughout the aisle and near the exits were bent and scratched. The roof was dented in a dozen places.

The train was a wreck. Literally; smoke was billowing from the very front and the door at the very end was all shot out.

Then a question suddenly shot through Riku's mind. Was Kairi safe?

" More Heartless!" Zidane yelled.

" Wyverns," Auron alerted. " Be careful."

Wyverns…the red dragons! " Oh shit!"

And the first of the great dragons soared into view. It dove at the train feet first, the claws out and ready to dig into the…

Claws punctured the metal roof and the Heartless shrieked, tearing off part of the roof as it rose back into the air. Another dipped down and forced its head in through the gap, its mouth snapping at them. Wyverns were much more dangerous feet-wise and Auron easily dispatched it with a swift slice through the neck.

" One down…" Auron backed up, the katana ready to strike again.

More claws broke through the steel, then ripped off the roof. The train, which might have been repairable, became a literal wreck as more Wyverns attacked the roof, tearing it into pieces. Bits and pieces of metal rained on them, drawing out blood wherever the sharp edges pierced skin and cloth.

" Damn Wyverns," Riku swore, lowering himself. When a Wyvern came down to pull back more off the train, he leaped up, the Soul Eater flashing. He sliced upward from foot to the chest and the Heartless exploded into a red heart.

" Another down," Auron remarked as he followed suit and took out two who were just above him.

" There's more gathering," Zidane alerted as he leaped up to the roof and fended off more who were tearing off their only shelter. " If they don't hurry up, we might not make it-"

" Who?" They?

" Oh don't tell me we have to face Invisibles…" Auron groaned as he flipped onto the roof as well.

Riku felt his face drain. Invisibles?

" Riku, guard Naminé! With Wyverns _and_ Invisibles, it's going to get pretty dangerous!" Auron called out. " Why does Hollow Bastion _always_ attract the toughest ones?"

_My question exactly_, Riku thought grimly as he sprinted to where Zidane had propped Naminé up against. She was still out, breathing lightly. Sweat dripped down her face; he pressed his hand against her forehead and received a scorcher.

" Auron, she's sick! We have to get out of here!" Riku yelled, wiping away the sweat with the edge of his coat.

" What? Oh bloody-"

Riku didn't hear anymore; he heard something crash through the train and whirled around. Something big and black barreled his way and threw Riku into the wall.

" Darkballs!" Zidane screamed.

Riku groaned, picking himself up. His body protested with every movement but he forced himself to pick up the Soul Eater and assess the scenario.

Neo-Shadows and the Dusk were enough; throw in Wyverns, Invisibles, and Darkballs and you might as well kiss your ass goodbye.

" Naminé!" Riku shouted, sprinting forward and slashing at the Darkball as it loomed over her, its jaws widening to tear out her heart. It was like hitting a baseball; the Darkball crashed through the seats of the left row but came back at him, zigzagging and knocking more things over. To Riku's right, another Darkball was materializing.

_No!_ Riku ducked to avoid the first Darkball, quickly stabbed it through, then whirled on the second Darkball, the Soul Eater slicing the first in half and then digging itself into the second Darkball's mouth.

" Ow! Damn Invisibles!" he heard Zidane swear and knew they got him with their black flames.

" If I were you, kid, I'd be Dodge Rolling those."

" Yeah well let's see you try!"

Riku smirked, as he saw another Darkball materialize. He inched towards it; before it got its bearings, he leaped up and kicked it right out of the train. Glass shards flew as the Darkball broke through the last unbroken window in the train. Then his senses picked up a warning and he whirled around to see three Darkballs massing around Naminé's body. They looked hungry.

" Get away from her you little freaks!" Riku growled and bolted forward.

Something blew right past his face and the three Darkballs exploded. Riku stumbled backwards and fell on his behind but not before catching a glimpse of a huge four-cornered steel star disappearing back through the window where it came from-a ninja star!

" About time you got here!" he heard Auron exclaim accusingly as heavy footsteps thudded on what remained of the roof.

" Got held up by a bunch of people scrambling into Hollow Bastion. I'm guessing you had a hand in that, Auron?" a cool voice asked.

Auron didn't answer.

" Zidane, you've done a good job!" a high-pitched girl's voice exclaimed. Lighter footsteps leaped onto the roof. " Why were the Darkballs under, though?"

" Well, there were some people down there-"

Riku leaped up, the Soul Eater appearing in his hand. Shock suddenly raced through his limbs when he saw someone in dark clothing crouch by Naminé's body.

" Hey you!" Riku yelled. " Get your fingers off of her-"

He streaked forward, the Soul Eater ready.

Sudden sparks; he found himself pressing against a long slender silver sword. Behind its wondrous shimmer cold blue eyes stared at him. A scar ran across the nose bridge; dark brown bangs shrouded the gaze but did not hinder it from stabbing through him.

" Who are you?" the stern voice demanded.

" I could ask the same of you!" Riku grimaced, applying more weight to his Soul Eater.

" You are trespassing into my home; I have the right to demand an answer first!"

" Well I was traveling here on this damn train when the Heartless and Nobodies attacked!"

The man suddenly backed off, looking stunned. " Nobodies?"

Riku nearly fell forward but, not wanting to make a fool of himself, he caught himself in time and stood up straight, though he was still tensed. " Yes, the Dusk and the Neo-Shadows struck the train. Why? They're not familiar to you?"

The man shook his head, running a hand through his hair. " Nobodies rarely strike Hollow Bastion. Why would they be here?"

He turned his head to Naminé. " And what happened to her?"

" Overexerted herself fighting the Heartless. She's got a fever; we have to get her out of here!"

" Not so fast." The man held up a hand at Riku. " First, who are you."

" I'm…" Should he say it? Mention his name and be shunned? Everyone knew of his work within the Organization but everyone also knew of his war with Sora over the worlds' right to exist. "…Riku."

The man didn't even raise an eyebrow. " I'm Squ-Leon. I'm the 'chosen' leader of Hollow Bastion. Cloud and Yuffie will help Auron and Zidane. You, follow me."

He gently picked up Naminé and held her carefully. " It's a bit far from where the train stopped and Hollow Bastion so we're going to have to move as fast as we can. You're going to have to fight for all three of us, understand?"

Riku nodded wordlessly, his eyes on Naminé. She stirred slightly and a pain-filled moan escaped her lips. His ears hurt and he silently cursed every Heartless that came into being.

" Cloud, Yuffie, we're going back to Hollow Bastion. Sick passenger aboard the train. If the situation overwhelms you, back out, understand!"

" Are you crazy? Running away from them?"

" Yuffie!"

Leon stepped out of the blasted-out sliding exit to his right. Riku followed suit, keeping the Soul Eater in the air before him. He gripped the familiar handle tightly as he scanned the area.

" Fog. Be on the alert. Hollow Bastion likes to produce a lot of fog but it doesn't help us much."

Riku nodded, then realized that Leon was a good distance away, jogging as carefully as possible. Cursing himself, Riku ran into the mist after him.

''

" This is so overwhelming!" Rinoa exclaimed in frustration as she fought her way through the sea of distraught passengers. " That Zidane; I hope he didn't pull off a false warning on us or I will have his tail-"

The young sorceress suddenly found herself pushed and shoved as the mass of people suddenly herded off through the door out of the Grand Hall.

" Thank you!" she heard Tifa shout. Remembering where the voice came from, Rinoa carefully wormed her way through people, finally reaching the other woman, who was too the far left of one of the staircases.

" Well, that's the last of them," Tifa sighed while Rinoa sat down, trying to catch her breath. " All their stories correlate; the Dusk did attack the train. But why?"

" I thought Zidane was joking," Rinoa admitted. " Remember what he did once?"

" Cloud nearly killed him," the other woman nodded. Her eyes shone with sadness. " Zidane should've been smarter than that. He knew that mentioning her name would've snapped him-"

" I know, I know," Rinoa sighed, placing a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. " What else did you get from them?"

" They said Auron was on the train. They didn't know who he was but they described him perfectly. Huge red coat, spectacles, frown, the sake jug…they also mentioned a silver-haired teenager and a blonde girl. Who are they?"

Rinoa thought a bit, though the first thing that came to mind was the image of the former king Ansem. Silver hair? " Where's Auron coming from?"

" The train had only two stops: Twilight Town and Disney Castle," Tifa explained while the two began to walk up the grand staircase. " But Auron was last reported in Destiny Islands so somehow he got to Twilight Town or Disney Castle, then boarded the Highwind Express."

" Well then he picked up some friends at Destiny Islands," Rinoa determined as they walked into the library. " Oh hey Kimahri."

They nodded to the short – he says he's short but nobody at Hollow Bastion believes him – Ronso, who was staring out the windows of the library and leaned on his Hunter's Spear. He nodded to them in return, then continued looking out the window.

" It's not that simple," Tifa mused as they slowly climbed up the spiraling staircase to the second floor. " Auron's not the type to make friends and whoever he befriends has to fight well. Two teenagers aren't much help."

" Lately teenagers have been involved in the Heartless war," Rinoa reminded her. " Remember?"

" Yes I know but-"

They heard the doors of the Grand Hall burst open. " Rinoa! Tifa! Someone! We got a sick person here!"

" Leon!" Rinoa bolted to the second-floor door, flung it open, and leaped off the balcony into the Grand Hall. She landed on her feet and stood up to see Leon carrying a pale blonde girl in his arms and a very shocked silver-haired teenager.

" Oh hello," she smiled to him, then watched as his eyes followed Tifa down onto the Grand Hall as well.

" Nice to meet you," Tifa nodded, joining Rinoa. " Leon, where's Cloud and Yuffie?"

" They're helping Auron and Zidane fight off a legion of Heartless back on the-what used to be the Highwind Express," Leon answered coolly. He gestured to the pale blonde teenager in his arms. " We need to get her to a bed and medical attention. She overdid herself fighting Heartless and Nobodies and has a bad fever."

The two dark-haired women nodded and bounded up the stairs towards the center door. Leon followed swiftly, with the reluctant teenager following him.

" Which wing?" Tifa asked Rinoa as they entered the central of Hollow Bastion. Shimmering light connected golden knobs vertically and horizontally.

" Any; they're all available, aren't they?" Rinoa replied, smashing a red button embedded in the glass wall to her right. A golden loft drifted into view, carried by the shimmering threads.

" Can't we take the stairs?" they heard a foreign voice behind them. Must belong to the tall teenager.

" Y'know," Tifa whispered to Rinoa. " The kid, he's kinda cute."

" That coming from you is really amazing," Rinoa quipped as Leon joined them. " East wing. Should we get a medic or will white magic suffice?"

" She's probably really exhausted," Tifa mused as they all stepped onto the loft. " We'll heal her to get rid of the fever and I'd say bed rest. How does she fight?"

" She uses cards," the silver-haired teenager muttered sullenly, eyeing the contraptions around the central apprehensively. " Damn castle…"

" Hey, don't badmouth this place," Leon retorted. " You may not have the best memories of this place but it _is_ our home."

" Sorry," he muttered.

" So…" Rinoa began. " What's your name?"

The teenager wouldn't reply. Leon stepped on his foot. " She asked you a question."

" Name's Riku…"

" Oh, you're _Riku_!" Tifa exclaimed while the loft stopped rising and started traveling…east. " Yes, I remember now; Sora's told us so much about you-"

" Sora?" Riku perked up. " What have you heard of Sora?"

" He's been missing two years, as you should know," Leon countered in his low voice. " We could ask the same of you."

" When he was here with Donald and Goofy, he told us about you and Kairi and Destiny Islands. Also told us about his other friends and his mother-"

" His mother's gone," Riku suddenly said. " I heard she took a boat out to sea during a storm. No one's heard from her since."

A gloomy silence hung in the air as the loft came to a slow stop.

" I'm sorry to hear that," Rinoa said quietly as they all stepped off the loft and it sped along on its merry way. " The poor boy, how are we going to tell that to-"

" We need to find him first," Tifa reminded her as they strode down the hall. It was blue-carpeted with blue-painted walls. Even the ceiling was blue; the chandeliers and lamps on the walls cast off a hazy light, illuminating the series of doors along the hall. Instead of picking the closest one and saving everyone a bit of mileage, Rinoa kept walking. That was until she turned to another hallway and kept walking…

" Right here," she said, opening a mahogany door with a gilt doorknob. She opened up to a blue-themed room with a large gothic window, light blue curtains, a dark brown dresser, and a queen-sized bed with light blue bed sheets.

" What's it like on the west wing?" Riku asked curiously.

" Very red," Tifa informed as Rinoa pulled back the bed sheets on the bed and Leon carefully placed Naminé on it. Rinoa then pressed a hand against her forehead.

" Fever's starting to go but I'll add a bit of touch to it," she murmured. She turned her hand so the palm was against Naminé's forehead and murmured a few words quietly. There was a white glow, and then it disappeared.

" If she wakes up today, she'd better not get up until tomorrow," she said warningly to both Leon and Riku. " Tifa and I'll go down to wait for Cloud and Yuffie to bring in Auron and Zidane."

The two turned to go but Riku stopped them.

" Have you…um…seen a girl with long red hair? She's my age but shorter, and she's wearing a white blouse and a blue plaid skirt. She's, um…should be with a guy around my height, sunburnt brown hair, wearing a trench coat…um, have you seen either one of them?"

The two dark-haired girls looked at him. They didn't get a single word he said…except for the girl with the red hair and the blouse and the skirt. " Um, no; we didn't see anyone like that among the passengers-"

" But they both left before the passengers did!" Riku protested; he was looking agitated. " How can they not be here-"

" Wait, are you talking about Kairi?" Leon demanded, cutting in on the conversation. " As in Kairi the Princess of Heart? The seventh Princess?"

" Yes-"

" Why'd you leave her alone?" The man seemed to be on the verge of an explosion but Rinoa knew he wasn't like that. Instead Leon's voice shook as he continued, " Are you crazy? The Heartless will be after her! You've just let the fox loose and the bloodhounds are going to follow until we kill them all or they get the fox. Do you have any idea-"

" She can fight. And the person she's with can fight. I just didn't think they'd still be out there…"

Rinoa and Tifa looked at each other. " Listen Riku, we'll tell you if they arrive, okay? Just…just keep watch and make sure she doesn't get out of bed. Leon, you're coming with us. If Zidane comes with trouble, all three of us are going to have to deal with it."

" And what about Kimahri?" Leon protested as they pulled him out of the room.

" Let him be; he'll come when he's needed…"

''

Riku sighed, sitting on the blue velvet and gilt wooden chair that stood near the bed and a dark walnut side table. His icy eyes studied Naminé's still form; he could barely tell if she was breathing.

" What have we gotten ourselves into?" he murmured, bowing his head. He hoped Naminé simply wasn't used to dealing with the Heartless like back at the train; problems would most certainly arise if her magic forced her to go beyond what her body could stand, leading her to collapse and develop a fever. She was a witch, she should be used to the magic, but she probably never dealt with physical magic and to the extent that forced her body to give up.

And Kairi…

He sucked in air and held it, realizing that he and Auron made a very grave mistake in ordering Tetsu to take her far away from the Highwind Express. Who knows what was lurking in the dangerous mists of Hollow Bastion? If they ran into Heartless, and too many at that, serious problems would arise. Nobody doubted the strength of Tetsu combined with Kairi's own fighting skills but what if there were too many Heartless? Then what?

" I'm so stupid!" he swore, grappling at his head with his hands. " How could I not have seen that?"

The dice had been thrown. They simply fell under the table, rendering themselves unreadable at first glance.

He looked up, watching the pale witch. She looked so…strange, so mystifying. Her golden hair was all over the pale blue pillow; her pale face, with its rosy pastel cheeks and pink lips, reminded one of the old illustrations of the tale of _Sleeping Beauty_. Riku knew of the real Aurora, the real Sleeping Beauty; in his personal opinion, Naminé was more beautiful.

" More beautiful..." he murmured, surprised at himself. For so long, he had only seen Naminé as the outworldly witch who allied herself with the world of good, had later seen her as a friend he could count on to admit his own dark secrets, his own fears, but…how could she possibly replace Kairi? Ever since the old trio was reunited at Disney Castle two years ago, he loved the ravishing redhead but he knew this was a love he could not reveal; she still regarded him as her best friend, relied on him to provide her with his 'special smile', but then there was Sora.

After all, it was his love for her that destroyed him. She was the most powerful of the Princesses; he was the original Keyblade Master, but his love for her, and the wanderlust within him, corrupted his own strength, so that Sora's heart shown more. And because of that, her heart became bound with his. Not Riku's.

He grimaced, tried to hold back the contempt he had hidden for so long. He tried to distract himself, turned to Naminé instead, and found instant solace. And the memories of his past sunk back into the watery depths of his mind.

" Whenever I'm with you, I remember everything," he whispered to her. " I wish I knew why. You're the only one I've told everything to, my life, my secrets, my fears…but I'm still lost, Naminé. Whenever I look at you, I think of her…and then _he_ comes back."

Riku stared at his own hands, tracing his calluses. Then a cold voice speared his heart.

_Would you do anything for her, my boy?_

_Anything. As long as it'll save her, I'll do anything!_

_That's what I want to hear._

" No!" Riku half-shouted, rising to his feet. " Leave me alone!"

Laughter rang in his ears. The cold cackle echoed all around the room and fear rose in him. Riku looked around warily, saw the door was shut, and that he and Naminé were all alone in the blue room.

_He stands between you and the girl. Kill him, and you'll save her. Will you do that?_

_I have to kill him?_

_If you don't, she'll remain this way forever. How will you have it, my boy?_

_I'll do anything to save her. Anything!_

_That's exactly what I want to hear. Now come; I will show you what you must do._

" Stop it," he hissed, his voice ragged as the memories pounded mercilessly in his head. " Stop it! Stop making me remember the past! That's old now! Just leave me alone?"

_Why should I?_

Riku nearly jumped back and knocked over the chair as a tall black figure materialized in the middle of the room. Her dragonish eyes studied him, then looked at Naminé, who had not awaken from the voices.

" I thought you were dead," Riku growled. " I thought you were gone!"

_Wherever you go, your past, the Darkness follows. And wherever she goes, the memories return. Have you ever wondered why the girl has changed so? Around that witch, memories come. Same with you._

" Don't _you_ call her 'witch', Maleficent!" Riku snapped, taking a step forward. " You're just a memory!"

_There's something you've forgotten about her, Riku._

And then her mouth moved. " She can make the intangible reality."

Her right hand opened and green light pulsed out, catching Riku in the chest and throwing him back over the chair.

" For so long I have been watching in the back of your mind. For so long I have fought with the presence to see what it sees, to understand what it understands, and manipulate you to my will, over its will. And at long last, I have succeeded. When the witch's power is latent, memories awaken. And in dreams, she will sketch out the forbidden. As for me, I used that sleeping strength and your memories to make myself whole."

" I will kill you!" Riku swore, kicking the chair aside and bringing out his Soul Eater.

" You can't," Maleficent smiled. She moved her black staff in a circular motion and opened her right palm up to him. Something small and white sparkled in the palm of her hand. " Every wrong move you make, I will take more of the witch's heart when she sleeps. Every time you fight me, I will take more…until I _kill_ her. And then what will you do?"

" I'll kill you," he whispered. " I _will_ kill you."

More of the glowing white stuff appeared in her hand. Riku paled.

" As I collect more of her heart, the more real I become. But we shall see what happens when it awakens as well."

" What are you talking about? What 'it'?"

" Don't you know?" Maleficent smiled maliciously. " I was blind until the moment you struck me with the Heart Unlocker. Now I see…and I understand. Let us see what happens once that Keyblade reappears, shall we?"

Maleficent began to fade away. But the glowing pinprick remained, the piece of Naminé's heart that the black witch had stolen.

Remember. The wrong move and- 

The door opened and Auron strode into the room. He eyed Riku, who thankfully had put away his Soul Eater at the last second. The man did eye the chair.

" Did I miss something?" he asked gruffly as he strode to Naminé's side. He studied her for a few seconds, then remarked, " She had better get better before we head to Traverse Town. She looks rather peachy."

" She _is_ peach-colored," Riku muttered, picking up the chair and sitting on it. It groaned under his weight; it had dealt with a lot of stress in the last few minutes. " But nothing to worry. The girls say she'll be up in no time…just not today."

" Hmmph," Auron grumbled.

" Auron, what of Kairi and Tetsu?" He almost didn't say the guy's name but that man was part of the team, wasn't he?

_No…he is not._

" Haven't seen either one of them since we ran all the way here," Auron muttered. He didn't see the stunned look on Riku's face. " Why, they didn't make it here? Riku?"

_Answer._

" What? Oh, no, they didn't," Riku muttered. " Cloud and Yuffie didn't feel anything, though. Did you?"

The man shook his head. " No. But still, this is bothersome. Riku, go downstairs. You should get a bite to eat; you barely touched your train food four hours ago."

" Who'd want to eat that?" Riku remarked lightly, plastering a smile across his face. " Its like they dug up something from the trashcan or something…"

He left the room, carefully closing the door behind him.

_Excellent. If you had given him the slightest idea, I would've taken yet another piece_-

" Why'd you say he wasn't part of the team, Maleficent?" he whispered as he walked down the hall, retracing the steps back to the central.

_That was not me, though I do agree that he is an enemy of mine. He is part of no man's team…and you know it._

Riku froze, blood draining from his face. And then it clicked in his mind.

_I'm not the only one, my boy. That you should know by now._

" Ansem," Riku mouthed.

""

" We had almost no report of any Heartless until the 6 o'clock Highwind Express decided to chug in," Cloud remarked as he leaned against the wall. Tifa hid a smirk; being around Leon must've done that to the blond soldier.

Leon looked out the window; the sun was setting on Hollow Bastion. It was now ten past 6. " A train with that many people is a magnet for the Heartless. We should've realized that beforehand."

Rinoa shook her head. " Like Cloud said, Heartless rarely came back to this world. And the trains that come here and leave usually are that full. There was something else about that train."

" Duh!" Yuffie exclaimed, jumping up from the chair she was sitting on. " I mean, c'mon, a _Princess of Heart_ was on that train!"

" Well, that, too," Leon muttered. " Yuffie, you're spraying food out of your mouth. Sit down."

" What?" the ninja snapped back, looking cross. " Fine, Squall, whatever you say."

" It's _Leon_," Leon retorted as he set his drink down.

The cafeteria was usually the setting for an informal meeting and also where passengers from the train station usually go to for meals. There was also a dining hall but it was rarely used. Only when Rinoa was in a mood to make food and managed to get Yuffie and Tifa to help did they have dinner there.

Kimahri sat at the far end of the table, setting his cup down and letting out a visible silent sigh. The others were all huddled at the other end, with Cloud already finished and thinking about the Heartless and Nobodies assault on the train.

" But why the Nobodies?" Tifa pointed out. " They only take souls. And it's the Princess of Heart the 'guys' want so why would they have both of them attack the train?"

" Nobodies are harder to kill," Cloud said. " They'll be very distracting for everyone who could fight who's on that train. We were lucky Riku was on that train. Things would've gone badly if-"

The doors into the cafeteria swung open and the subject of discussion strode in.

" Hey Riku," Rinoa smiled. " Trays are over there."

She pointed to her left, where the actual kitchen was. " It's only leftovers from yesterday; sorry about that. The cook got bit by the flu but he's a bit scared of magic."

The silver-haired teenager merely nodded, indicating he heard, and strode past the rows of tables. Kimahri watched him – studied him, really – as Riku picked up a yellow tray and started to pick.

" After Yuffie finishes eating-" Leon glared at the cheerful ninja as she continued to stuff herself "-we're going out to find her. But don't rush; I don't want people complaining of an upset stomach since we just ate."

" Oh I won't complain," Yuffie grinned as she tore at a piece of bread. " You'll see-"

" We'll see once you finish eating," Cloud interrupted.

Tifa giggled and Yuffie threw her a dark look.

Rinoa stood up and picked up her red tray. " I'm going to the library. Cid might have sent us a message or something about the Heartless and Nobodies. If they could gather like that around a single train, that means they're up to something."

Leon stood up as well, taking her tray before she could move and placing it on top of his. " I'm coming with you. Meet us at the Grand Hall."

The two strode out of the cafeteria, with Leon dumping the trays into the container next to the doors.

" They had better not…" Yuffie smirked evilly, watching the two leave.

" Now don't you start getting ideas," Tifa retorted, poking her on the head. " Now hurry up girl; you're only half done!"

" Can I come?" Riku asked rather amiably as he slid into the seat previously occupied by one Squall Lionhart who'd rather be called Leon.

" You in the condition for it?" Cloud asked critically. " You did fight longer than we did."

" I'm going." Riku seemed to interpreted that as a 'yes' and began to dig into his food.

Tifa threw Cloud a warning glare before the man could open his mouth.

Yuffie caught that and started to giggle.

The poor ninja quailed under the double glares thrown at her from the soldiers and the former bar hostess and decided it was best to shovel the rest of her food down the throat.

''

Rinoa hummed softly as she walked with Leon on the second floor balcony surrounding the Grand Hall. Despite some present problems, her mood was rather high; just when she thought another droll day was coming to an end, a torrent of distraught and traumatized train passengers spilled into the Grand Hall of Hollow Bastion, leading to a series of events that brought to them the friends of the missing Keyblade Master Sora.

Leon cast her a very baffled sidelong look. " Rinoa, are you alright?"

She turned to him, smiling. " I'm fine; I'm just glad something's _finally_ happening."

Leon nodded. " True…"

But in his mind ran the question: _Why did Auron choose now?_

They entered the Library and Leon immediately strode to the huge machine running on the large oak desk on the second floor. He tapped in the password and began to check the systems.

" The anti-teleportation barrier's up and functioning…cameras and radar report nothing…nothing new from around the rest of Hollow Bastion…"

" Hello, Zidane," Rinoa smiled as the doors behind them opened and closed, and the blond young man streaked up to them.

" So…news from Cid?" he asked curiously.

" We're still checking…Leon's got to go through all the other systems first, as usual…" Rinoa answered rather politely, catching the disgruntled look the man was giving her. She drifted off, leaning against the railing and staring out the large windows of the library.

" Have you…uh…seen Kairi?" Zidane asked tentatively. " Met her on the train. Really pretty girl; red hair, blue eyes, shorter than me? No? No?"

" Zidane, when we don't answer that means, " Shut up. Sit down. Wait." Got it?" Leon snapped. " Funny, the castle radars are picking up some weird stuff-"

Rinoa skimmed the tops of the bookshelves standing on the first floor, ignoring the damn chest sitting in one corner; not even Zidane could open it, for whatever it held within it.

Sudden disturbance. She looked down and suddenly realized why the castle radars were acting strange.

Down below, a slender red-haired young woman was wandering around the bookcases, a hand skimming through the book spines. She was wearing a white blouse and a short blue-plaid skirt. Her footsteps were slow, measured, as though she knew where she was going.

And on the opposite side of the bookcase was a tall young man in a dark trench coat. His sunburnt brown hair seemed rather windblown but bangs fell over his face in a rather attractive way. He was busy pulling out books and silently sliding them back in where they belonged; he seemed intent in staying in one place, while the other drifted further and further away-

" Oh, look, there she is!" Zidane suddenly exclaimed – rather loudly into her ear, too. " Hey, Kairi!"

The woman suddenly looked up. Her violet-blue eyes sparkled with recognition and a smile appeared on her lips.

" Zidane, you're here already?"

" What took you so long?" he asked cheerfully, ready to jump off the railing and join her.

For the briefest of seconds, a look of pain and sorrow shrouded her face, then was vanished as she smiled again. " Oh nothing, just some idiot decided to take the long route, if you know what I mean."

" Ha, very funny!" Zidane laughed. Rinoa then realized he really was going to jump off.

" Oh no you don't!" Leon snapped, suddenly appearing next to Zidane and pulling on his tail. He then looked over the railing as well. " Kairi, hello again. My, you've grown some; definitely bigger than the last time we've met-who are you?"

His kind tone dropped to make way for his cool one as he finally spotted the other person.

Rinoa kept watching him, now that the girl, Kairi, had been recognized. There was something funny about him, something strange, something definitely out of place; she could feel it. Who was he?

" I don't have to answer to you, do I?" the man snapped back coldly, stepping in front of Kairi and glaring at Zidane. Rinoa looked at the blond thief; he was returning the same look.

" You are talking to the elected leader of Hollow Bastion," Zidane retorted angrily. " I think you need to show some respect."

" What, that coming from you, I don't believe a single word of it," the man hissed. He then turned to Kairi. " There's no point in staying here. Let's go."

She shook her head violently, looked up at the three of them up on the second floor. " These are my friends, even though I don't recognize two of them. Not yet."

The man grimaced. Leon took the opportunity to push his question forward again. " Who are you?"

" You don't need to know and you don't need to care. Let's get this over with; we have to leave."

Kairi threw a warning glare at him, then strode for the spiraling staircase, taking it up to meet with the three of them. Rinoa continued to study the young man as he reluctantly followed her to them. She just _knew_ there was something wrong with him; whether or not anybody else knew that she didn't know…

" Leon, where are the others?" Kairi asked.

" They're in the cafeteria," he answered calmly, " as well as Riku."

The man turned to them, suddenly more interested in the conversation than the bookcase he was standing next to.

" He made it back? What about Auron and Naminé?"

" Auron's up in the east wing with Naminé; she overexerted herself in the battle and needed bed rest," Zidane input, jumping on top of the bookcase the man was next to. To Rinoa's amusement, the man stepped away disdainfully, trying to put as much distance between himself and the thief boy as much as possible.

" Let's go to the cafeteria," Rinoa suggested. " We should let them know Kairi's safe and sound. Riku was getting worried about you, being his friend and a Princess of Heart, you know…"

The girl blushed slightly, bowing his head a bit. " Yeah, he gets like that sometimes…alright then. I want to meet the others anyways…and maybe talk a bit about why we're here-"

" Yes, _that_ I'd really like to know," Leon agreed. The three of them began walking to the double doors.

''

Zidane grinned at the young man, who seemed disgruntled that the three up ahead had ignored them so completely.

" If you were thinking you're special material, you might as well forget about it and take the express out of here," Zidane remarked cheerfully, jumping down to the floor next to him. " We don't have use for people with that kind of attitude."

" That's not it," the man said stiffly. He scowled as Zidane grinned at him rather toothily.

" Jealous are ya?"

The man raised an eyebrow at him. " Over what?"

" All the attention she's getting…and not just because she's a Princess of Heart," the blond thief remarked, starting forward to the doors as well. " You know, she really is very pretty."

The man looked rather apprehensive as he followed Zidane out of the library. " What's your point?"

The edgy indifference in his voice quite startled Zidane, who turned to him and said, " What's my point? Hello, you're hanging around a girl around your age who's a total beauty queen! How can you _not_ show the slightest interest to her?"

The man was looking extremely irritated right now.

" Oh what's with this silence? You're admitting you do feel something for her-"

" You are so immature it makes me too sad to laugh," he interrupted, striding past him. " Why would I feel anything for a girl who cries all the time for an idiot who left us all without a trace two years ago, leaving us on the tip of the iceberg? If I find that bastard, I'll kill him for trying to kill us all…"

Zidane grinned darkly as the man continued to distance himself from the thief with the extra appendage. It was unfortunate for him – most fortunate for Zidane – that the pickpocket could hear quite keenly, especially in the silence of the Grand Hall.

"…and worry Kairi to death."

''

" Kairi?" Cloud and Yuffie looked up as Leon and Rinoa led her into what they called the cafeteria. She was surprised to see a long dark-haired woman sitting next to Yuffie. She was more surprised by a certain person sitting with them…

" Kairi! Thank goodness you're alright!" Riku exclaimed, leaping out of his seat and rushing to them. He smiled at her before embracing her tightly. " It was stupid to let you two off run out there like that; if there was an ambush, it would've been the end of the world. Literally!"

As he pulled back, Kairi, who felt herself flushing with embarrassment, thought she heard him say something else along the lines of: And I missed you. She stared at her feet, suddenly uncomfortable of the presence of Leon and Rinoa near her.

She looked sideways to the beautiful sorceress. In the short time they spent walking from the library to the cafeteria, she had told Kairi who she was and what she was – a sorceress, a rebel, and the daughter of Leon's father's first love.

" Where we came from," Rinoa had said right before they entered the cafeteria, " sorceresses were both to be treasured and shunned. Sorceresses reigned and sorceresses were hated. It took a lot of courage on Leon's part to change that thinking."

She then smiled to the man, who looked suspiciously pink. He simply cleared his throat, then opened the doors into the cafeteria.

Kairi looked around the spacious room, then saw a blue-furred creature rising to its feet. It had a tail, a lion's face, and a broken horn. It was muscularly built but she could tell it was just as flexible and fluid as a true feline, though it also had brute strength.

It saw her, approached her. Leon, Rinoa, and Riku turned to it, slowly made way for the silent being as it approached her.

" Princess?"

Its – his – yellow eyes studied her, but she gazed back boldly, unflinching despite the piercing stare. Then he nodded.

" Memories will guide you. He waits."

The all creature strode past her, barely acknowledging the nod from Leon. Riku looked from him to Kairi, who whispered, " Who is he?"

" His name is Kimahri, a Ronso," Rinoa said softly. " His home world was destroyed. He lives with us now and fights alongside us."

Kairi nodded slowly. There was a look in the Ronso's eyes, silent sadness. " He's waiting for Sora to open the Door of Light, isn't he?"

Riku flinched slightly, earning a curious stare from who could only be Cloud. Rinoa, however, nodded. " Yes, as we all do."

" Why don't you sit with us?" Yuffie called out cheerfully. " Then we can talk, see how you've been doing since-"

The doors opened and everyone looked to find none other than Zidane bounding in, his tail whipping as he grinned and waved. Behind him, following at a swift but respectable pace, was Tetsu. Kairi felt her smile harden at the sight of the man. The expression on her face was matched by the gold grim look on Tetsu's face and the barest twitching of a snarl on Riku's. But everyone's attention was on Tetsu as Zidane made an exaggerated bow to Leon, Rinoa, Riku, Kairi, Cloud, Yuffie, and the other woman.

" Boss, Miss, Riku, Princess, Soldier, Ninja, and Lady with the Fists, hi!"

Cloud cleared his throat while the dark-haired woman next to Yuffie rolled her eyes.

" Took you two long enough," Leon muttered.

" Well I just wanted to ask him some questions," Zidane grinned, tilting his head towards Tetsu. The man only crossed his arms tightly and glared at the thief. Kairi frowned. What the hell happened?

" What we want to know," Cloud said slowly, " is why you're here now. Its not everyday the Highwind Express gets attacked by powerful Heartless _and_ Nobodies. Tifa believes it's because of Kairi."

" They want her," Riku said just as slowly. " Are the other…bodies here?"

" In the Chapel," Yuffie input. " Except for Belle, though; the Fairies hid the castle away like they did to Aurora."

" And who's he?" the woman, Tifa, asked. She looked pointedly at Tetsu, who was himself busy studying Cloud.

" We don't know," Kairi found herself say. " He just appeared one day. He's going to help us though, help us find Sora."

" And what's your business with Sora?" Yuffie asked curiously.

Tetsu leveled his gaze on her and she looked away abruptly.

" You don't need to know."

Cloud frowned slightly. " I think you need to tell us. We have business with Sora as well."

" That's great," Tetsu snorted. " I wonder why he's in so much trouble-"

" Do us a favor, Tetsu," Riku snapped. He glared at the young man. " Just leave. This is not your business; you don't know what's going on."

" I could say the same of you," the light brunet man retorted with all due calm. " You don't know as much as I do. But I guess this is your "business". So go ahead, flounder in the Darkness. My business with you people is done."

He turned sharply and headed for the doors.

" Sora."

Time slowed as everyone turned to Rinoa. Her gaze was fixed on Tetsu's back. There was determination and confirmation in her face.

" What makes you think I'm Sora?" he asked coldly. Kairi felt a fury rising in her as he practically spat out Sora's name.

" I can feel it," Rinoa said softly. " I'm a sorceress and I can feel it."

" You look like him," Yuffie offered as a pointer.

" You even stand like him," was Cloud's comment.

" Save your bullshit for later," Tetsu growled. " I'm not Sora. You don't know everything."

He pushed the doors open. Without ever looking back, Tetsu walked out of the cafeteria as though nothing of importance took place.

Kairi unconsciously moved forward to follow him but she stopped when Riku placed his hand on her shoulder. He removed it when Rinoa turned to them with a smile, though her eyes gleamed with hurt.

" You should talk to him," she said quietly. " If I am right, he _will_ need your help. You're the only one among us who know him best. All Princesses have empathy – but only you can help someone like him."

Kairi bit her lip, not wanting to talk to him. The more she was around him, the more she resented him.

But he was a Keybearer. She was connected to him. The least she could do was talk to him about his behavior.

She ran to the doors, pushing them open. She spotted Tetsu down the hall, nearing the library, and called out, " Wait!"

Tetsu stopped and turned around, waiting patiently until she caught up to him. She stared at him, at the indifferent expression on his face, and demanded, " What was that for?"

" What?"

" Your attitude! They don't know who you are. The least you could do was explain who you are!"

Tetsu continued to watch her. " I made a point not to deal with people who think I'm Sora. It's a waste of time explaining my business."

Kairi stared at him, aghast. Then that would mean just about everyone. " But I thought-"

" Well you thought wrong, _Princess_," Tetsu snapped. " I don't deal with people who think I'm the person I'm looking for. Waste of time, waste of breath, full of bullshit. Besides, you're not much help, more of a liability, and that's not helping me at all either."

The words stung. Kairi wanted to scream at him, at his stupid train of thought, at his reference to her as a "damsel-in-distress". She abandoned that status long ago with Auron's appearance and she couldn't stand anyone who thought her useless.

And she did have a faint hope that Tetsu _was_ Sora.

Kairi turned and ran. To get away from Tetsu, from the people in the cafeteria, from everyone. It really hit her, that Sora had really gone missing.

And from the way things seemed, he won't be coming back.

""

Tetsu entered the library, deeply troubled. He knew he meant every word he said, except for the last part. It just came out, put his thoughts into words. But he didn't expect Kairi's response – well, in a sense, maybe he did. But still…he knew it would be a long time before she could trust him again.

After all, he had teleported her to a distance from Hollow Bastion's doors. He only said the castle was protected; he didn't cared to share that the surrounding area was not.

He looked out towards the high windows of the library and the gathering night. The eerie beauty of twilight did not move him but he continued to watch, hoping to block the look on Kairi's face out of his mind.

_Why?_ Why did they all think he was Sora? What was it about his looks, his stance, and his weapons that reminded them of the missing Keyblade Master? Rinoa's words were most troubling.

" _I can feel it. I'm a sorceress and I can feel it."_

What did that mean?

_What a load of bull –_

" You know," a quiet voice spoke behind him, " Leon's thinking about throwing you out of the castle."

" I don't answer to his authority."

The blond-haired man came into view. Tetsu noted the streamlined shades perched on his head and the cape that hung over his left shoulder. He saw the troubled look on the man's face.

" You answer to no one but yourself. You need to learn to get along with other people. I should know."

Tetsu turned away, studied the treasure chest sitting on the top of one bookcase.

" I am no one. I am nobody. I answer to no one but my own mind."

" But who told you about Sora? Somebody should have."

" Enough people _think_ I'm Sora," Tetsu muttered. He was starting to hate the name. " I only deal with people who think otherwise."

" We only judge. You need to come forth so that we can truly learn," the man said slowly, as though he was recalling from memory.

" Who told you that?"

The man smiled sadly, recalling a lost memory. " A flower girl."

Tetsu couldn't help but snort at this. But still, that was unusual. " Who was she?"

The blond-haired man sighed, looked down at one of the bookcases near the stairs. " She was…one of the very last of her kind. She's like Kairi, empathetic, kind, understanding, and with an infinite amount of patience. She understood far more than any of us ever did. She understood me."

When he didn't seem to continue, Tetsu pressed on. " You loved her?"

" She was my light. When we separated, when our homes were destroyed, I searched for her. The months passed. Finally someone promised to help me find her as long as I signed a contract to help him in return. But the promise was broken. Sora saved me from my demise and I continued my search. I found her…here, with the few others you have met. We are still searching for our friends, but hope was ours."

Tetsu wondered who this was. He had a feeling it wasn't any of the other people he had just met. " What happened to her"

The man bowed his head. " She is no more. Two years ago, we fought the Organization, which was trying to take Hollow Bastion as Maleficent did. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were with us but…nothing could be done when Axel went after her."

His grip on the railing of the second floor tightened. Tetsu could feel the wood straining.

" She is a healer. She could heal us while we destroy the Nobodies. But Axel…he sought her out. Sora knew what he was trying to do and tried to tell me, warn me. But I couldn't hear, until I heard Aerith scream."

" Aerith?" That was her name?

" Axel…he killed her…and I could do nothing about it." A tear dotted the dark wood as the man turned away. His voice shook. " There was nothing any of us could do. I still remember…the laughter. Axel was laughing at our despair. He had done more than enough. He took Aerith from me and he was at fault for Sora's disappearance. If I find him…I will _kill_ him."

Tetsu nodded slowly. He wanted to know more about this 'Axel' but he felt now was not the time to raise hostilities between them.

" Sometimes in the morning I could still see her standing in front of the windows. The sunlight would stream in, making her glow. She was so beautiful, so kind…she saw me for who I was, not for who I seemed to be. But now she's gone."

" Were you like this for all the days since she died?" Tetsu questioned.

" I can't forget her," the man replied. " I can never forget her. A part of her is still here."

Tetsu shook his head, then asked, " She makes you smile?"

" She makes me laugh," the man corrected. " She was the only one who could. Since she…died, I couldn't. It's so hard to smile."

" The memories won't help you," Tetsu said abruptly. " They're only there as memories."

" They are what binds us," the man countered, glaring at him.

" They are only memories. You can't languish like this. All that the memories can do is show you what and who you can be. She shouldn't be the only person to make you smile."

He turned away, felt too tired to continue talking. But the blond man stopped him.

" Memories make you. Don't you know that?"

Tetsu pondered for a moment. " I have no memories. This is who I am. But memories…they only remind me of the things, places, and people, whether I like it nor not. When times change, memories should not hold you back. Treasure them or hate them; they can do nothing to you."

The man did not answer and Tetsu left the library. He stopped, though, just out the door.

_Memories…the dark rain, the screeching of a car, and an explosion of pain. Then voices. A man, a woman, and…_

_He remembered answering her calls, saw her staggering against the wall, so _tired she couldn't stand. And he remembered her warmth, her light weight, as he laid her on the white bed and sat next to her, wondering what she did, why she did…

Her story was so tragic, filled with memories, memories she clung to. He could say nothing about memories to her, clearly understood the bond between her and the Keybearer. If he had something, it would've shattered her.

And that time at the Rising Falls, when it was only the two of them, he remembered how her body fit into his as he held her, the comforting warmth of another human being, and how her hair smelled as the wind tossed the red strands in his face.

_What is she doing to me?_

Tetsu shook his head violently, tried to shake those images out of his mind. He grimaced, felt like a fool and a hypocrite. He then turned to go explore the castle and delve into the secrets, forget those memories.

" And what were you thinking about?" Zidane grinned evilly as he backed off quickly.

" What do you want?" Tetsu snapped, unnerved by the thief's silence.

" You were thinking about something…or someone." Zidane grinned even more darkly. " Maybe her?"

Tetsu scowled. " Pick up any more ideas and I will empty your mind of them!"

" You wouldn't dare," Zidane smirked. " After all, I got you on the dot! You're turning red."

Tetsu felt so tempted to strangle that thief right there and then. Zidane _was_ right. But he knew better than to strike. He had left the man in the library, a man he knew could fight. And Zidane was a silent foe. A duo of them two would be dangerous.

" You know, you shouldn't have talked to Cloud that way," Zidane remarked, though he watched the library doors warily. " He loved Aerith and you just went and dissed his memories of her. The two of them loved each other but they were never with each other long enough. That's what memories are for. He put his love into the memories but that didn't mean he couldn't interact with the rest of us. Can't you go on with life holding onto the memories of your loved ones?"

" That's not what I meant," Tetsu shot back. " Besides…I don't have any memories."

" Really?" Zidane sat on the railing of the second floor above the Grand Hall. " Why don't you?"

Tetsu sighed, ran a hand through his hair. " I came to in a dark city one year ago. No memory. I knew nothing about myself, my past, where I was, and why. I only knew that I was in a world of night, drenched by rain, with people crowding over me."

" That's a memory," Zidane noted. " You've had a year's worth of memories."

" It's not like I want to remember," Tetsu muttered. " Nothing happened. I wandered aimlessly, fighting for reasons I didn't understand, wondering why I fight the way I do. I'm no one, nobody, fighting a darkness I know nothing of."

" There's Kairi-"

" I told you, stop talking about her," Tetsu interrupted, growing quite angry. " I don't have _memories_ of someone who took me in over a car crash and turned out to be a Princess of Heart. If you think you have a chance with her, go do that! I'm not going to stop you! She's nothing to me, Zidane, so stop shoving it in my face!"

He turned to go.

" What about Riku?"

Tetsu froze, hung in the air for a second.

" I don't care."

He stormed off, letting his anger take him away from the fury he had created.

""

Riku wandered aimlessly down the West Wing, basking in the soft red hues that contrasted strongly with the cool blues of the East Wing. He knew he should probably go back to the East Wing and check up on Naminé and Auron.

_Not yet._

Riku grimaced slightly, knew he had to obey her. Naminé was still vulnerable to the dark witch's magic.

_Find the source of the barriers, Riku. If you don't, I will take another shard._

The pieces were small but the more she took, the more Naminé would lose. He had to go. So far the East Wing, Grand Hall, library, and the cafeteria were empty of all suspicious matter. He still had the West Wing and the Chapel to look into.

Maleficent, he knew, was privy to so many of his thoughts but deep inside he still hid his darkest thoughts. And it was there that he found the other mind,

_Patience_, it uttered. _She will be hard to eradicate._

Riku nodded slightly and sighed. Red, so much red, it reminded him of-

_She's so powerful_, Maleficent murmured. _What I would give to take her heart for myself._

It took all of Riku's willpower to stop himself from unleashing an angry retort. The wrong move, he knew, and Naminé was one step closer.

But why? Why did Rinoa tell Kairi to go after Tetsu? He felt so angry that the stranger would constantly pull Kairi away from him. He still feared telling her the truth, but he just couldn't stand Tetsu taking her away.

_And speaking of Kairi…_

She stood quietly outside one of the red doors, staring at her feet. She made no move to enter, leaving Riku puzzled. What did Tetsu say to her? The very image of her, a beautiful sorrowful figure alone in an endless red hall, struck him.

" Kairi?" he called out softly, lengthening his stride.

She looked up, startled and even a bit hopeful. Then her face turned calm and unemotional as she recognized him. " Riku? What are you-"

" I was…just walking around," he said, standing next to her. " You?"

She shook her head, only said, " I don't know why, Riku. I'm so confused."

" About what?"

" Should I have come? I only came because of…him."

_Sora?_ Riku was truly baffled. _Why in the world is she questioning this?_

" He told me I should go, instead of waiting on Destiny Island until I let him go and move on with life. Why did I listen to him? Whenever I see him, he reminds me of Sora. But he's not Sora, Riku, so why is he bothering me like this?"

His stomach dropped abruptly. Sora. It was all about Sora. Always about Sora. Why does he bother – Tetsu.

" Just…just ignore him, Kairi," Riku said. " He has no right to hurt you that way. I don't know why he's here with us but just let him be. He's not Sora."

Kairi sniffed, then looked up at him. She was crying, tears streaming down her face. Riku was startled but he felt moved to hug her, as one friend to another.

" I know…" Kairi cried into his shoulder. " But…but sometimes I wish he was Sora. It hurts so much, Riku. I don't know but I wish the pain would go away."

Riku held her close, feeling overwhelmed all at once. For once she had come to him for help, and he felt so…what? He couldn't figure it out, couldn't understand what he felt as she slowly straightened herself and looked him in the face.

_I love her, I know I do. I always did._

" Riku…" she whispered, almost hesitant to speak. " Can you…can I see…that smile?"

The smile only reserved for her. That came so easily to his face.

" I'll always," he leaned in and whispered in her hear, " smile for you."

Kairi flushed as he kissed her lightly on the cheek and backed away. Then she turned pale as she looked over his shoulder. Riku stiffened, then slowly turned.

" Was I interrupting something?" Tetsu asked not too kindly as he stood a little way from them. His face was unreadable.

" Maybe you were," Riku retorted, taking a step forward. " Go mind your own business!"

Tetsu still stood unfazed. He then yawned – the nerve of him! – then remarked matter-of-factly, " I heard every word you said."

He heard Kairi gasp in surprise. Tetsu merely raised an eyebrow, then said, " I'd appreciate it if you didn't talk behind my back."

" Well maybe if you fixed that attitude of yours, we wouldn't have anything to talk about!" Riku replied, annoyed. If anything, he wanted to see hurt on the other man's face.

" You develop a certain attitude," Tetsu said slowly, taking a step forward, " if you've been living a lie. For all I know I could be the enemy and you two wouldn't even know it."

" Enemies cannot use Keyblades," Kairi whispered.

" Riku did before," Tetsu countered. " But of course that is meaningless."

" What do you want?" Riku sighed, suddenly too tired to continue the pointless argument.

" I'm going to bed; got a problem with that?" Tetsu snapped, then strode to the door opposite of the one Riku and Kairi were standing in front of. He dismissed the look of fury on Riku's ace and slammed the red-tinted door shut.

Riku sighed, then looked at Kairi. She was staring at the door, looking quite scared.

" You could just go to another room," Riku suggested.

Kairi shook her head. " That's-that's not it. We…we shouldn't have talked about him behind his back. I know the both of us want to but…he _is_ helping us find Sora."

_Damn you, Sora._

" If that's what you want," Riku muttered. He had been hoping to convince Kairi to come with him to the East Wing with Auron and Naminé.

_There is still one task you must perform. If you fail, another shard will be mine._

Kairi was smiling at him. " Don't worry, Riku. Everything will be all right in the end. See you tomorrow. Night."

The redhead entered the room and closed the door, leaving Riku to his thoughts and Maleficent. The silver-haired teenager sighed before her voice came again.

_I remember something near the basement of this damn castle. See what is there._

Riku desperately wanted to go to his room in the East Wing and sleep until the sun stood still, but he had no choice. He turned and began to walk to Hollow Bastion's central.

_I'll get you for this, Maleficent! Just watch!_

In the back of his mind were laughter of two kinds. He didn't know which to laugh with.

_I'm going schizophrenic._

''

The basement was dark and so terribly cold. Riku had no idea whether to thank the heightened senses of the dark Ansem gave to him or the trench coat the Organization provided for him. Either way, he had to pay a hefty price.

_But do as I bid, and you will be paid more than what you lost. I will give her to you._

Kairi's image flashed into his mind and Riku suddenly stopped while creeping through piles of boxes and leftover metal obviously from Cid's original airship garage.

_Should I do this? Should I so that I can have her?_

Then he remembered Naminé and her latent power.

_If I let Naminé die, I'll never be free of the evil._

So he continued forward, picking his way through the pieces, tools, and dust.

_Stop._

Riku already knew of the great machine beyond the last high stacks of steel and cardboard. He also knew of the lone guard posted in front of the slick silvery machine.

_That machine powers the barrier. Kill the guard and destroy it._

Riku grimaced. He didn't want blood in his hands. _I'll destroy machine, and who knows why, but I'm not going to kill the guard._

_And why not?_

Riku scowled at the hazy image of Maleficent next to him. He shivered involuntarily at the cold glare from her eyes.

_If you don't kill the guard, you know what I'll do._

_Ah fuck!_

Riku peeked between the boxes and saw the guard standing patiently before the whirring machine. He had on a steel helmet and steel armor; he was carrying a slender silver machine gun and wore night-vision goggles. The guard's blocky jaw and formidable guilt easily made him power boy for the favorable security guard.

_He's a guard. Not your friend. Kill him!_

Riku bit his lip. What if this man had a family of his own, and he took this dangerous job to protect Hollow Bastion? What if he had siblings and parents to support? What if he had friends who cared for him? What if-

_Are you just going to stand there! Kill him, as long as nobody knows what happened!_

_Are you insane?_ Riku snapped. _Oh wait, of course you are! I'm not going to kill another human being, even if-_

Maleficent silently opened her right hand. A tiny shard sparkled as a star in the night sky. Riku paled.

_Strike one. Your move._

Riku grimaced, chewed his tongue silently. _If they find his body, they'll know who killed him._

_Not if I have a hand in it_, Maleficent smirked. _While I exist within you, you are able to use the green flames of my dragon form. No one will ever suspect a dead witch as the murderer._

Riku sighed silently. His face distorted with a grimace as he saw no way out without Naminé losing another shard of her heart.

_Very well_.

Riku knew exactly what he must do. He peeked through the cracks between the boxes and held out his right hand, palm facing the oblivious guard.

_Your aim will not fail,_ Maleficent whispered in his mind as a fiery unnatural warmth swept through his arm and something hot and violent began to build in his hand.

**Author's Endnote:** Here's a poser for you – just what will Riku have to do while under the command of Maleficent and the other voice? Long reviews and lots of questions are appreciated, thank you!


	12. The Divine Comedy

**Author's Note:** Don't ask about the title. Sorry it's updated so late; I wrote too much in my notebook and it took several hours to get it all down correctly with some editing and without my mom going crazy on me. She's still nuts….anyhoo, check my Bio page for some updates concerning livejournal.

**Copyrights**: All characters belong to Square-Enix and Disney except for Tetsu cuz he's mine and I say so. Likewise, all the settings aren't mine but the plot is. And Dante's _Inferno_ belongs to Dante, not me.

**Rain of Sorrow**

**Chapter 11: The Divine Comedy**

" Geostigma?" Auron repeated. " Don't explain. It's going to take hours, I reckon. But why do you need Vincent now?"

" We're one man short," Leon said calmly.

" Something's brewing," Cloud murmured, staring out the great windows of Leon's study. " I've been feeling it…since Sora disappeared. Maybe that's why Vincent left. You said this Tetsu might've seen him?"

" Described him perfectly," Auron nodded, taking a swig from his sake jug. " Vincent…fighting a Darkside. We don't know if he survived or…if he's gone."

" Vincent can't exactly die," Leon pointed out. " Well, that's what I think."

" The only way to tell would be to actually kill him," Cloud remarked with all due calm.

Auron and Leon stared at him. Cloud scowled at them, then exclaimed, " It was a joke! I wasn't serious!"

" You…looked the part," Leon began uncertainly.

Cloud shrugged. There was a faint smile on his face.

" Cloud, are you feeling okay or something?" Leon asked worriedly. " I'm serious."

Cloud held up a hand. " I said I was fine. It's just…I did a little thinking last night."

Leon and Auron looked at each other, tried to make sense of what Cloud had just said. Did Cloud Strife just say he was thinking?

" I…decided that life can't go on like this," Cloud explained. " Got a wake-up call. So I thought maybe we could do with Vincent here to help get things moving, especially after yesterday. We can't afford to have Heartless and Nobodies attack any more trains, if you know what I mean."

" True…" Auron mused. " We'll leave tomorrow, go to Traverse Town. Any news from Cid, Leon?"

" Only that Donald and Goofy haven't arrived as expected," the brunet man explained, looking out the window. " That isn't a good thing but where they went. The distance between the two worlds…it just isn't right."

" Maybe they ran into trouble," Cloud suggested. " Heartless ships are still roaming."

" We'll keep an eye out for them, then," Auron decided.

" Have you planned out the route to take?" Leon suddenly asked. He turned to the older man, his face ominous in the shadows cast by the sunlight. " If you get into trouble, it'll be easy for us to find you. You understand…don't you?"

" Everyone lost two years of memory," Cloud spoke. " This makes everything dangerous."

" We're going to take the old route," Auron said slowly. His spectacles shone in the sun. " Sora's path. End of the World doesn't exist, and we're already here. It's the other worlds…"

The other two men nodded. Then Cloud spoke.

" Avoid Castle Oblivion at all costs."

" What do you think?" Auron snorted. " Besides, Naminé isn't going to let anyone into the castle anytime soon."

" Will you go to Twilight Town?" Leon asked.

" Eventually…of course," Auron said, rolling his eyes. " And from there…the rest of the worlds."

" Something bothers me, though," Cloud spoke up. " About the two missing years; don't you ever wonder?"

Briefly Leon and Auron looked at each other. _Since when did Cloud talk so much?_

" I heard about what happened at Disney Castle two years ago," the older man said slowly. " But everyone I've asked knows nothing. Queen Minnie, Lady Daisy, Chip, Dale, and Merlin, among others, were not at the castle itself when Axel broke in."

" Then where were they?" Leon demanded.

" Queen Minnie told me the king ordered an evacuation," Auron explained. " Everyone left…except him, Donald, Goofy, Sora, Riku, Kairi, Naminé, Pluto, Chip, and Dale. A little while later Pluto came to them, then Chip and Dale arrived after launching a gummi ship to Destiny Islands. Jiminy Cricket was with them."

Silence.

" That's it?" Leon asked.

Auron stood up abruptly. He strode to a dusty bookcase and stared at the untouched tomes. The other two warriors watched him intently.

" Queen Minnie…and the others saw darkness come over Disney Castle…then an explosion of white light. Then Pluto ran back to Disney Castle…everyone was gone. No traces remained. And the basement…there was a seal. No one can get in now."

" So they just…disappeared?" Leon restated. " And they were all gone for two years?"

" Why hasn't Sora appeared?" Cloud posed the question no one had asked. " We search for Sora but why hasn't he appeared like the others? Where'd he go?"

Silence.

" Nobody knows. That's why we're looking for-" Auron began but Cloud, acting as strange as usual, interrupted him.

" What if he _has_ reappeared?"

Leon and Auron stared at him.

" Please tell me Geostigma doesn't turn his brain into mush," Auron muttered to Leon.

" Never showed those characteristics before," Leon hissed back. " Cloud, what are you talking about?"

" Everybody came back except for Sora," the blond man explained, now staring out the window. " Why? Why didn't he come back? What if…remember how the others couldn't remember anything in the two-year gap?"

The other two nodded, still confused.

" What if Sora's…out there? What if he's out there in the Universe? His mind was wiped out, too, given the others."

" They remember everything before the two-year gap," Leon countered. " If Sora was out there, he'd remember to come back, given who he sent away to protect from Axel. But where is he? He's not here, is he? Why haven't we heard from him?"

Auron studied Cloud carefully. " Spit it out. What's your theory?"

" What if…Sora doesn't remember? What if…he came back but he forgot…everything?"

""

Riku wasn't much of a people person. He couldn't understand why. He used to be so social when he was young – no, wait, that wasn't right. When he was young he clung to Sora and Kairi, his two closest friends. He made few endearing friends and didn't appreciate hordes of people. He didn't like the cafeteria.

Yesterday's insanity was still fresh on his mind as he walked into a platform at Hollow Bastion's central and pressed a button. It carried him up and out to the balconies and ledges outside the castle and Riku needed fresh air, He felt like he was suffocating; all those people, the memories, last night, it was all too much.

_Don't let it bother you, boy. It is but one of many tragedies you've faced and will face in your life.._

_Tragedies that don't need to happen!_ Riku snapped back silently as the platform came to a stop and he stepped onto the multi-level floor.

_Not all evildoing is by your hand_, Maleficent retorted coolly. _But yes, you will kill._

Her chilled laughter rocked his mind as he found the passageway that lead him outside and stepped out into the mid-morning breeze. The cool breeze swirled around his tall muscular frame, and for once Riku felt glad about leaving his trench coat behind in the East Wing. The fresh air soothed him and he tilted his head to the high sky to drink the clean air.

Senses tingled. Riku whirled around, reflexes already in action. The Soul Eater was in his hands but he found an empty threat. No one.

_Someone's playing mind games with us_, a deep voice spoke disapprovingly from the darkest corner of his heart.

" I know that," he hissed through his teeth. He scanned the area around him, suddenly deduced the empty threat, and called out, " Yuffie! This isn't funny anymore!"

Faintly he heard scrambling feet, then an "Oof!", and then bright, yellow Yuffie flashed into view. Well maybe not yellow; she was wearing the standard gray tones that Cloud and Tifa also wore. She grinned from a higher balcony, then took a running leap, and somersaulted onto the ground in front of him.

"…Yuffie?" Riku asked, a bit exasperated.

" What, not allowed to test my skills?" Yuffie grinned. " Yuffie the Great Ninja needs to know if she's getting rusty! Therefore she tracks only to test and strengthen!"

" Does that involve talking to yourself in third person?" Riku asked weakly, fighting the urge to visibly roll his eyes.

" No, it's only an option," Yuffie smiled. " Now…what are you doing here?"

She walked – more like jumped – to the ledge and peered over at the bottomless pit. " I highly doubt you were trying to kill yourself."

" No, I was measuring the depth of the bottomless chasm," Riku said sarcastically. " I just needed fresh air. Castle's too stuffy for me."

Yuffie smiled. " Is it because of your memories?"

" Memories? You mean my days here as a jackass, right?"

" Or are you running away, hiding?"

Riku froze, blood draining from his face. Hiding? Hiding his current status, vessel of two malicious spirits?"

" You hate Tetsu, don't you?" Yuffie teased, jumping around the taller person. " I know you do, always snarling whenever he's around. And you like Kairi. It's _so_ obvious! I can see everything – I saw everything. Your little thing with Kairi and talking stuff about Tetsu behind his back, you're a naughty boy, Riku. Why do you do that?"

Riku suddenly found Yuffie annoying and fresh air poisonous. He turned to leave. " Because I want to."

He neared the door, then turned when Yuffie made a sound in her throat. She looked…enlightened.

" You think Kairi's going to fall in love with Tetsu, don't you?" A grin formed on her face. Riku felt his intestines warp at the incredibly evil face. " That's why you hate him, why you're all snuggy over Kairi. You think the two are going to hook up and you just can't stand it."

" Go to hell," Riku muttered and kept walking away.

Yuffie crossed her arms, scowling. " Hmph!"

She snapped at her dark headband, blew the bangs out of her eyes, then turned to stare out over the horizon.

" Vincent," she called out softly, " where are you? The tide is turning and you're not here…like Sora."

There was a sudden burst of static and she fumbled with the comms. link hooked onto her belt.

" Yuffie here!" she yelled.

" Ow! Yuffie!"

She cringed at the outraged voice, laughed nervously. " Sorry."

" Yuffie, don't scream."

" Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. Now, what's the dealio here?"

" We've got a breach of security, Yuffie. Got any ideas?"

" What are you talking about?" she demanded. " Where did this happen?"

" Basement. Someone destroyed the shield around Hollow Bastion."

" And Rupert?"

" Burnt to crisp."

" Axel?"

" Impossible. He can't teleport here nor do as much as show his face anywhere near. Cloud will kill him…if the others don't get to him first."

" Who else uses fire?" Yuffie countered. " Only Axel."

" You forgot. There's the Firaga spell."

" Who'd use it on Rupert, Tifa? No one! Unless…"

"…there's a traitor."

Silence.

" You think its Riku?" Yuffie asked, incredulous. " How-he reformed! You know that!"

" Darkness comes and goes but never eradicates itself from one's body…unless it is burned clean with light."

Yuffie thought for a moment. " So the only reason he hangs around Kairi so much is because he thinks she'll cleanse him?"

Silence.

" That's…interesting. But no, that's not my point. Riku could have destroyed our defense system. But why?"

" If it wasn't him, Tifa, then it's Tetsu. And I don't think its Riku."

Tifa was silent. Then," Rinoa thinks he's Sora. So unless Tetsu really doesn't have any memories, is a different person, or a spy, then he wouldn't have done it. Besides, he knows nothing of Hollow Bastion. Cloud and Leon are both keeping their eyes on him. If Tetsu tried to sneak off, they'll find him."

" But we don't know _why_ he's looking for Sora," Yuffie retorted. " I don't trust him, Tifa, I-"

Something hard hit her on the head. She collapsed, dropping the comms. link. It clattered and skidded to the side. Blood ran over her face and dripped onto the floor.

" Yuffie?" the comms. link called out. " Hello? You didn't finish. Yuffie, are you there? Yuffie-"

A black boot crushed the comms. link, then someone passed over the pieces of steel and wires. An edge of the black trench coat brushed over her face, staining itself with her blood.

Then the person was gone.

""

Kairi sighed, slammed the book shut, then coughed at the cloud of fine dust. She slammed the book into the shelf, then stalked off to find another book.

" Dante's _Inferno_? Why a book on sin and forgiveness? Divine comedy on good and evil; why on hell would Naminé want that?"

She remembered Naminé's request before joining Auron, Leon, Cloud, and Rinoa at some training ground to work on her magic endurance.

" Can you find Dante's _Inferno_? I'd like to read the divine comedy of sin and forgiveness. Thank you."

_Sin and forgiveness? I thought we all forgave her ages ago, Sora and me in particular. I can't blame her, can I? No, I can't, I never could. I understand her perfectly –_

She bumped into something rather soft and unbelievably warm – someone. Flushing with embarrassment, she backed up quickly, then looked up at –

" What do you want?" she demanded, more embarrassed than ever.

" What, I'm not allowed to go wandering about on my free will?" Tetsu snorted, crossing his arms and glaring at her. " And what do you mean by 'What do you want?' I'm not here for anything."

" Then why are you – oh forget it." Kairi turned around and made off for another bookshelf. A presence followed her to another bookshelf and she snapped, " Go away."

Tetsu didn't answer; she still felt his presence. She rounded another corner and walked straight into Tetsu.

" Yah! Don't do that!" she yelled, pushing him away. " Just leave me alone."

" You know I won't."

" I know you will," she snapped. " Why are you here, anyways?"

" I said I have the right to go about on my own free will," Tetsu repeated. " And I have the right to follow you, if I wanted to-"

" See!" Kairi shouted. " You and your bullheaded logic! You think this world's set up for you, don't you? Everyone either serves a purpose for you or they're worthless trash! Am I worthless, Tetsu? Am I a 'liability'? Am I someone you could throw aside? Have you forgotten that I'm a Princess of Heart? Is that a worthless position? Am I just someone you can use until you don't need that person anymore? Am I _nothing_ to you, some simple nobody who decided to take you out of the rain and shelter you until you went off to do your own things? Are you even grateful for what I did for you!"

Her heart beat painfully, loudly. She felt close to tears, just wanted to go away, get out of her life. All she wanted was Sora…

" Just go away, Tetsu," she whispered, turning her head away. She refused to meet his gaze, didn't want to see his face. A tear slid down her pale cheek and fell in all its pained sorrow and glory. " Just leave me alone. I don't need you anymore…"

It was so quiet she could hear another teardrop fall to the floor. Its impact echoed, then was drowned by soft breathing. Kairi looked up, saw crystal-clear blue eyes studying her. Light brown bangs fell over them. Despite herself, she raised a hand, hesitantly, and brushed aside the strands of hair. Her hand slid down to the side of his face and pressed against the worn, soft warmth. She kept watching his eyes, the faint flicker of emotions within the high walls of sapphire glass.

" Where are you?" she whispered, half to herself, feeling hopeful and miserable all at once.

He lifted a hand and placed it on top of hers. A shiver ran through her at the unnatural warmth and she felt tension fall from her in curtains.

And then a voice murmured in her ear.

" I'm here, always."

She smiled, closed her eyes, felt him so close, the comfort of another human being. She felt his face next to hers, felt his cheek brush by her face. It was a soft and warm touch, left her trembling and weak all at once. She said, in a faint voice, " I know."

Silence. Streaming sunlight. The musty, ancient smell of the old tomes around them. And the faint echoes of memory, footsteps, voices, laughter, sorrow, loneliness, dwelling on thoughts of another world…and a heart, beating in tandem with hers. She leaned against him, laid her head on his chest and breathed in _him_, the stranger who somehow never failed her when she needed him most, who kept her hopes alive –

" Mind if I join?"

Kairi looked up, startled, bit back an exclamation. Tetsu backed away quickly, left her alone and cold as he turned to the foreign voice. But Kairi knew. And that was what frightened her.

" Who are you? Tetsu demanded, stepping in front of her. " What do you want?"

" Well, I was planning on a rendezvous with your other friends, and I heard Auron was here so I wanted an autograph, but seeing you two getting it going really turns me on. And negates the need to wander around the castle as naughty children do; she's right here, secluded, with no one to defend her."

Kairi grew angry at the words but deep down inside, she was really scared. She knew why he was looking for her.

" You didn't answer me," Tetsu growled protectively. " What do you want?"

The man sighed, then ran a gloved hand through his shock of red hair. His cat-like green eyes seemed to pierce her, through her, and she shivered, stepping closer to the black-clad shield separating the two.

" Hm…so you're the one, eh?" he grinned with approval, eyeing Tetsu's trench coat. " And I thought Demyx just never came back from his search-and-recruit mission, though I did hear he had also gone to visit some mechanic in-"

" You didn't answer my question."

" Apologies. I'm here to get the last Princess of Heart. Since her 'savior' appears to have disappeared from the face of this Universe, I might as well escort her out of here and be off-"

" I don't think so," Tetsu said in a low voice. " I don't think you're just here on a whim. What do you want with her?"

The other man scowled. " I don't need to tell you, do I? My business is with her and her only."

Kairi shivered as his eyes pierced her. Then he was gone.

" Where-" Tetsu began hotly.

" My, Kairi, how you've grown," the man remarked behind her. She gasped, whirling around and staring at the fiery-haired man. He was grinning; she shivered unconsciously and then with real, female fear. With every second that passed, she saw with painful slowness the man's eyes roving over her lithe body, lingering in some places and skimming over others. She drew back, shrunk into herself, tried to hide away from his intrusive eyes, and gave an involuntary whimper.

A sickly fire burst in those eyes but then Tetsu placed a hand on her shoulder, then stepped in front of her, shielding her.

" You're one of them. The Organization. I remember now. How'd you get in here?"

There was a cold, emotionless tone in his voice but the steel gleamed. He knew who the man was. _Now_ he knew.

" We have our ways of getting around. We've been here before. You should know that much."

" Hollow Bastion as a force field. Nobody can teleport inside or out. And you're unwelcome here. So how-"

" Someone destroyed the defense system," Axel grinned knowingly. " Someone on the inside."

Kairi gasped, looked at Tetsu immediately. He seemed shocked, too. " A traitor?"

" Need one repeat? But no matter!" Axel waved his hands and the dreaded Fire and Wind Wheels exploded into his hands. " The Princess is what I'm here for so step aside, boy. You don't know what you're dealing with!"

With a deafening roar, the Oblivion and Oathkeeper appeared in Tetsu's grip. He spun them expertly, then saw Axel eye-to-eye. " I'm no fool. You won't lay a finger on her!"

Kairi called out to her staff, held it tightly until her knuckles whitened, watched the energy crackle between the two men. Each burned with his will, desire, and strength. A clash was inevitable…all over her.

_No!_ Kairi closed her eyes tightly and the horrid scenes of the events two years ago played once again in her mind in all its tortured beauty and tears. _No, he can't get near me, he can't touch me! What will they do to me?_

She opened her eyes wide at the storming of steel and watched, stunned, as Tetsu and Axel leaped back, each shaken by the force of the impact but each equally determined to do it again.

" Don't even try, Keybearer!" Axel shouted, though something quite different gleamed in his sharp green eyes. By challenging Axel Tetsu was a threat to whatever remained of the Organization. " You will never stand up to our power! Bow and desist!"

" You forget," Tetsu snapped. " I'm a Keybearer."

He rushed forward but Axel, with a wave of an arm, threw up a wall of fire and Tetsu stopped short. As the fire began to spread to the adjacent bookcases, Axel appeared behind Kairi. Before she could turn around and fight him off, he had his arm around her and was dragging her away.

" Te--" A hand covered her mouth while Axel muttered something harsh. Another wall of fire rushed up in front of her, surrounding Tetsu. Her eyes widened with horror as the magicked flames roared and touched upon the wooden bookcases. Books burned and came crashing down into the epicenter of the circle of fire. Kairi tried to fight but Axel kept a tight hold on her. His voice murmured into her ear, " There's no point in struggling. The fire has done its part. You're _mine_."

He trailed his tongue down her face, following her as she tried to pull away, her heart pounding faster and faster.

In the flames she heard Tetsu cry out her name.

" Kairi!"

Her heart screamed back but she couldn't say anything as Axel continued to pull her further and further away –

" What the hell are you doing here!"

Zidane!

Axel whirled around, shoved Kairi aside. But upon seeing the thief with the tail he relaxed. " Oh…it's only a boy."

" I'm not a 'boy'!" Zidane shot back angrily. The firelight glowed in his red face. " What the hell is your business with us now?"

" How's Cloud, eh? Still pining for his woman?"

The thief lowered himself near to the ground, clenching the dagger tightly in his hand. " How dare you – Kairi!"

He stared at her, at her shocked state. She blinked back dumbly, her hears still echoing with Tetsu's cry as the fire continued its deafening roar behind her. Axel eyed the exchange between then, then stated in a drawl, " She's mine now. Don't even think about it, boy. You'll never stand a chance-"

He raised a wheel and blocked Zidane's sharp dagger, then threw him aside.

"-against someone like me. Not with what you know what I've done."

" You don't know what I can do!" Zidane shouted, scrambling to his feet. " Kairi, get out of here! I'll hold him off!"

She could barely hear him; her eyes had turned to the bonfire as it began to destroy the library foot by foot. Then she saw her staff lying on the floor, its adamantine caps gleaming in the firelight. She opened her hand and it flew into her grasp.

" Oh so the Princess is going to fight me now, eh?" Axel chuckled. " Feisty."

Zidane eyed him strangely. " You are one sick fellow."

" Oh and just when I was displaying my natural 'human' side," Axel pulled up both wheels as Zidane leaped at him, then swung one wheel out as a staff came swinging from the side. Metal clashed as the three duelists backed off. Zidane ran to Kairi's side as Axel backed away towards his element, smiling even more.

" So you'd let a thief boy die protecting you, Princess?" Axel remarked with amusement. " How unbecoming of one like you, Princess. You know he will die."

Kairi shook as she held onto her staff. Her arms were still shaky from the impact but all pain and fatigue was forgotten when she eyed the tongues of fire licking the ceiling of the library.

_Must every Keybearer suffer for me? Isn't it my turn to do something?_

" I won't let you get away with this," Kairi found herself whispering fiercely, loud enough for both ally and enemy to hear. " Not after what you did to me! You ruined my life you bastard, and I'll see to it that you pay!"

She positioned the staff into a fighting staff, its cap gleaming at the other man. Zidane followed suit with his dagger. Axel grinned.

" A challenge for honor, love, and livelihood. I love drama."

Kairi didn't even remember charging. All she recalled was thrusting the staff backwards as soon as Axel disappeared and met steel. She whirled around quickly, used a foot to kick at the wheel while Zidane leaped up at Axel, met the rising wheel with his knife, then somersaulted over while still in the air to land behind Axel and jab forward. But Axel quickly teleported and appeared behind Zidane. Stomping on the tail, he raised his wheel quickly to bring the spikes down on the thief's exposed back.

Kairi cried out and thrust her staff forward, catching the spikes. She then attempted to pull the staff up and the wheel out of range. Axel, however, had inhuman strength and she felt herself weaken quickly.

" Zidane!" Kairi screamed a warning as her arms gave way. Then a lance caught where her staff failed and the three people looked up at stern Kimahri.

" Princess go. I fight."

Axel snarled. He backed off from Zidane, then rushed the Ronso. The Ronso was faster, though, blocking the wheels with his lance and throwing the Organization member back.

Kairi, exhausted by now, felt her legs give way and she sat on the floor, her wobbly arms holding onto the staff. She tried to get up but her legs just wouldn't respond. The only other time this happened was back home, when she overexerted herself in that duel with Riku-

" I got you."

Arms went under hers and gently pulled her to her feet. She staggered, leaned against her staff, and fell back into-

" Tetsu!" she cried out, looking at his grim, burnt face. " You made it out!"

" Damn bastard and his fire fetish!" he snarled. " Come on, Zidane. Where the hell are we going?"

The thief was busy watching the increasingly violent clash between Axel and Kimahri with awe and horror, but he came at the call. He raised a curious eyebrow at the man, who was holding Kairi rather intimately. Tetsu immediately pushed her away but she didn't care. She was just relieved to see him alive.

" We have to go to the Chapel," Zidane yelled, suddenly sprinting out of the Library. " Once there, the back-up defense system will activate and the others will know what's going on. All I know is that the others are either at the training grounds or Leon's study. If neither Kimahri nor I had come along, you'd be totally toast-"

He looked at Kairi as he continued to turn corners and bolt down long hallways.

"-and she'd be gone. I don't know what the hell Axel's going to do to her but if those bastards get their hands on her, we'd all be doomed."

" Wait!" Kairi yelled, trying to keep her legs under her as Tetsu continued to pull her down the hall after Zidane. " Aren't the other Princesses of Heart at the Chapel?"

" Well they have no hearts. No harm done."

Tetsu snorted as the hall opened up to a dark, Gothic room. To the right would be the Chapel.

" The irony."

""

Riku had just joined Auron, Naminé, Leon, Cloud, and Rinoa at the training grounds when Tifa bolted in, panting and looking rather crazed.

" Tifa?" Cloud called out worriedly, running towards her.

" Has anyone seen Yuffie? Anyone at all?"

They stared at her. Then one by one they shook their heads until on Riku remained.

" She was stalking me outside at one of the balconies. I left her there and came here. Why, what's wrong?"

Tifa looked at everyone, held out her comms. link. " I was talking to her when…someone attacked."

" What!" Cloud exclaimed.

" What do you mean, Tifa?" Leon demanded.

" I went down to the basement. Someone…" Tifa looked down, bit her lip. " Someone destroyed the defense system. The shield around Hollow Bastion's gone."

Everyone fell silent.

" A…traitor?" Naminé whispered.

" If the shields go down, how vulnerable will Hollow Bastion be?" Auron asked tersely.

" The Organization," Rinoa whispered. Everyone stared at the sorceress, who had her eyes closed tightly. Then she opened her eyes. " They're here."

Blood drained from Riku's face. The others stared at Rinoa with horror. She kept talking. " He's here…for her. The Chapel!"

Riku turned and ran, threw out radar, searching through the castle. Heat rushed up at him from the Library.

" The Library's on fire!" he shouted as he ran in the other direction.

" Wait!"

He turned around. Naminé and Auron ran to him.

" If the Organization broke in, everybody needs to fight together," Auron said sternly as the three set off at a quick pace. " Don't be a fool rushing off alone to play hero. If ain't happening – Kimahri!"

Down the hall the Ronso limped in another direction. He was badly bruised, bleeding, and scorched in some parts. His lance was snapped at the tip and he walked in pain.

" Auron," Kimahri struggled to speak. " There…are more of them. For her."

" Kimahri, where did they go?" the older man demanded.

" Chapel."

" The Princesses?" Naminé questioned. " But why? They have no hearts!"

" No, it's the internal back-up defense system in the Chapel," Cloud spoke as he ran to join them. His sword was in his hand. " The Chapel, as the name implies, is the last sanctuary of the hearts. A pure heart full of fear will trigger all other defense mechanisms including alerting every one of us-"

A mechanical wail interrupted him briefly.

" That?" Riku asked.

Cloud nodded. " Back-up shields will be up. The only way the Organization can escape now is through the front door; all other doors and windows will be impregnable. This way."

He suddenly turned at an intersection and they followed him. Riku began to fret as they seemed to get no nearer to the Chapel. He had never been to the Chapel this way and lost all sense of direction.

" Who would be here?" Naminé gasped out.

" I have a feeling some of us will know," Auron replied gruffly.

And Riku saw Cloud mouth the name,

" Axel."

Riku narrowed his eyes from growing fury, then spotted a slow, erratic circle of six tall spears. His senses screamed and he did so likewise.

" Xaldin!"

They all came to a quick stop. Riku brought out the Soul Eater while a deck of cards glowed in Naminé's hand.

" Spears?" Cloud asked, puzzled.

" Six," Riku confirmed. " Master of wind."

" Indeed." From the center of the circle, a tall, buff man came into appearance. Neither his purple-black ponytail nor his sideburns had changed but he looked a little worse for wear. " Well spoken, Riku. Two years?"

" Shut your filthy mouth," Riku growled. " What the hell are you doing here?"

" There aren't many of us left, after your friend knocked out most of us," Xaldin said, reaching out and snatching two spears from the revolving circle. " Those of us that remain…we have finally neared the Gathering. Once the Princess is in our grasp, we will win."

" You and your talk of Princesses!" Riku snapped. " Just how many of you are here?"

" Those who are left," came another voice, much older but equally familiar. " Those whose bodies still survive and yearn for the power behind the door. That's why we're here, why we have come for the last Princess. In the wake of the Keyblade Master's disappearance, our road has cleared. Once the hearts are ours and the door opens, all our lost ones will return and we will reign in darkness."

" Never!" Cloud shouted, flashing his sword and whirling around on who could only be-

" Luxord!" Auron hissed.

" The benefits of dealing with pirates," the older man retorted smoothly. He looked even worse for wear than Xaldin. The Organization member was holding a deck of cards.

" Screw the curse of gold," Riku snapped, now on double-guard. " Whatever. What are you two doing here, buying Axel more time?"

" Why not?" Xaldin replied, spinning both spears in his hands. " Teamwork is what get things done, I recall."

Riku grimaced. The sirens continued to wail. Then a genderless entity spoke in the depths of his mind. _They wanted the seventh Princess._

" You're not laying a finger on Kairi!"

Riku bolted forward, Soul Eater flashing in his hand, while Xaldin locked two spears together to form his shield. Naminé threw a card to shield Riku from the four other spinning spears while Auron and Cloud both bolted at Luxord, who was bringing out a mix from his own deck of cards.

Rinoa, who had run after Cloud once the sirens went off, came upon a furious battle, with Riku, Naminé, Auron, and Cloud back-to-back fending off Xaldin and Luxord.

Questions came to mind.

_How many more Organization members survived Sora's crusade?_

And…

_Where's Kairi?_

""

" Oh my god, they…" Kairi gasped, literally spinning around in a circle and staring at the glass cases around the semi-circle platform.

As in death they slept in the glass coffins, their faces serene and their arms folded upon their bosoms. Kairi couldn't help but slowly approach each one of them, touching the clear covers slightly as the sirens screamed, and both Tetsu and Zidane stared up at the glowing Heartless symbol on the wall.

" Alice…Cinderella…Snow White…Jasmine…Aurora…oh my god…" Kairi whispered, seeing tow more glass cases, both empty.

_One for Belle, sealed in the castle at Fabled Countryside, and one…_

She couldn't bring herself to finish.

"…for you," Tetsu said quietly, staring at the last in the semicircle of bodies. " Prepared for the worst, for the worst has yet to come…"

She stared at him oddly, while Zidane paced the floor, his dagger in hand. His tail whipped about while he continuously eyed the far end of the hall. He looked frustrated. " Kimahri can't hold of Axel forever, that I know. Axel's too strong for most of us; what's taking him so long?"

" Taking his time?" Tetsu suggested. " Met others?"

" They should have been here by now," Zidane countered.

" Unless…" Kairi murmured, standing in front of Aurora's case, "…unless there are others."

" Other coat people/" Tetsu snapped.

" No, other white rabbits," Zidane retorted sarcastically. " Sora didn't kill all of them. They could be here, too."

" So you think the others – if they are here – are to head off the others while this Axel bastard takes on the three of us? Then what's taking him so long?"

" Are you that eager to fight him?" Kairi demanded, glaring at the brunet man. " After what he did to you? You stand no chance against him-"

" Then what am I supposed to do, huh, wrap you up in wrapping paper, tie on a red ribbon, and hand you over to him saying, " Merry Christmas"? That man is sick and very, very horny. I wouldn't go within ten miles of him and I sure as hell am going to make sure that happens."

Both Kairi and Zidane stared at Tetsu, who was glaring at her. His breath came out in ragged gasps as he finally turned away. " If neither of us do something, then this is the end. End of the Door of Light and the end of Sora. SO you'd better be more intelligent and think things over before you say something as stupid as what you just said."

Kairi felt herself tremble at the thought. " I-I'm sorry, Tetsu. You're right-"

" Save your breath for later; I don't need gratitude," Tetsu snapped. " I don't want to lose my chance at finding my past. And I don't want to live until the end of days as a fool."

Kairi rolled her eyes. " Is it always about you?"

" Yes," Tetsu retorted.

" No," Zidane couldn't help but smirk.

" Maybe," Axel grinned, suddenly materializing right behind Kairi.

''

" Tifa, take the Grand Hall. Make sure no one and nothing gets in or out!" Leon ordered as they split and he ran for the basement. He yanked out his comms. link and barked, " Kimahri, Grand Hall! Team with Tifa and make sure nobody gets in or out. Reno?"

" Yah?"

" Send Highwind a message. We've got the Seventh Princess here, someone on the inside destroyed our security system, and the Organization itself are out to get her."

" Got that, Boss."

" Make it clear Kairi is the Organization's top priority. They're sending the pros to handle the case, not the usual Heartless melee. Understand? And ask for Donald and Goofy's whereabouts; we can't lose track of them!"

" And Destiny Islands?"

" What's wrong, Reno?"

" Uh…does mass evacuation, terror, and hysteria fit the bill of top priority?"

''

" Step away from her," Tetsu hissed as Zidane crouched down, his dagger flashing.

" Now why would I do that?" Axel smirked, taking a step closer to Kairi. She shook, her eyes wide with horror and apprehension. " Oh wait, was that an order?"

" Stop acting like a fool," Tetsu growled as the Oblivion and Oathkeeper flashed into his hands, " unless you want to die."

" You know, murder isn't always the answer," Axel said quickly smoothly. He stroked her cheek and she shuddered. He smirked as Tetsu twitched at the touch. " We can always negotiate. Give her to me and all your friends live. Fight me and they die."

" My friends aren't puppets to manipulate at will," Zidane all but yelled. " There's no way you can-"

" Not your friends," Axel interrupted. He then eyed Tetsu with contempt. " Nor yours…except of course, you don't have any."

Tetsu didn't even flinch.

" I'm talking about the Princess' friends," the red-haired man practically whispered into her ear. " See…we thought the Princess was home so we sent the Heartless and nobodies to announce our arrival but when we got there, she was gone and a bunch of idiots her age were wiping out the Heartless and Nobodies. Oh we left, of course, since Kairi wasn't there, but…if you resist, any of you, Destiny Islands will become holy hell."

Silence. Kairi had gone terribly pale but she couldn't flinch from Axel's bone-crunching grip on her shoulder.

" So, what will it be?" he asked quite maliciously. " Cooperate and they live, or resist and they die?"

Fingers were shredding her mind into pieces. She didn't know what to do. Stuck between a rock and a hard place. She couldn't give up yet she couldn't send Selphie, Tidus, Wakka, and all their other friends to their deaths. She couldn't do anything. There was nothing she could do.

" Nothing…" she murmured, half to herself. " The end of all things…"

Tetsu's eyes widened in horror. " No!"

Axel grinned triumphantly as she nodded her head. " She may have been holding the blade upon which fate hung balanced but she is far too kind to let her friends die for her. So be it-"

" This isn't over yet!" Tetsu shouted and bolted forward.

Zidane dashed in and hurled himself at Kairi, knocking her out of Axel's grip. He was lucky he did it so fast for fire flashed and the two Keyblades clashed with the Fire and Wind Wheels. The two duelists glared at each other before Axel shook him off and Tetsu skidded back.

" They will die!"

" No!" Kairi screamed, pushing Zidane off her. " You can't kill them-"

" Kairi, are you that big of an idiot!" Zidane snapped. " All that matters right now is that we get you away from the Organization! Whether or not your home is destroyed doesn't matter; the Door of Light will restore everything! So don't go around giving yourself up because you might lose your friends; believe it or not, your life is far more important than theirs and you damn well know that!"

Kairi froze, breathing heavily. She had never felt so confused before. Was she more important than Destiny Islands, her friends? Could she sacrifice their lives to save herself? Must a Princess of Heart be more selfish than the normal human?

" If you give up now," Tetsu said slowly, watching both the Princess and Axel at the same time, " Sora will never forgive you."

She gasped, never thought of it that way. " No…Sora…"

Tetsu looked at Axel, who was suddenly even more fearsome than the first time around. The man bared his teeth and glared at Tetsu.

" Who the hell are you!"

Tetsu spun both Keyblades expertly in his hands.

" I'd like to know, too."

There was a look of shock on Axel's face but quickly gave way to a black light. " As you wish. Go back to the last world of your miserable adventure. Let us see what will happen then."

He held up a hand high and a sudden wind began to blow. But the room was entombed deep in the castle; Axel was doing a spell.

" Did I say something wrong?" Tetsu asked, seemingly worried for the first time.

" Yes!" Zidane shouted. " Do you have any idea what he's-"

Something ripped into the air and Kairi found herself staring at an endless, inky…nothingness. It was a rip in time, a maw into limbo.

She screamed.

""

" Well what the hell!" Riku shouted, throwing his Soul Eater at the wall.

" Hey," Cloud warned him as he wiped his face and smeared blood all over.

" They just…ran away," Auron mused, taking a swig from his sake jug as though nothing if importance took place. " Why?"

" To the Chapel," Rinoa decided immediately. " There is no time to waste."

The long-legged sorceress strode off, then stopped short as a scream echoed down the hall.

" Kairi!" Riku yelled and ran past Rinoa. He could hear the others hastily follow him but he ignored them. Something happened to Kairi! " Kairi!"

He ran into a spacious dark room, swerved to his immediate right, and shoved open the doors into the Chapel. He heard the others follow him but he didn't hold the doors open for them; he ran forward, calling the Soul Eater into his hand.

He couldn't see anything but the closer he got to the second level, the more a magic-made wind blew. He knew it had to be magic; the Chapel was too deep inside the castle for natural wind to slip in.

He bolted up the stairs two at a time, then came to a shocked halt as he saw the seven glass coffins lining the edges of the second floor.

_The Princesses!_

" So glad to have you join the party," Axel's voice smirked. Riku whirled around as the voice continued, " Unfortunately you're too late."

" What did you do?" Riku shouted over the fierce wind as the others appeared behind him. " What did you do to Kairi!"

" Wish it could be a lot of things," Axel grinned darkly. " Unfortunately two upstarts convinced her to resist me so I had to do something, right? Say hello to my latest magic touch-"

" You can't open portals in Hollow Bastion!" Rinoa shouted. " The defense system-"

" Got overrun by me, the Pyromaniac," Axel informed though there was no fire around him currently. " Hey I can do it again. Frankly I'm more worried about how Tifa is faring against two Organization members."

" What?" Cloud gasped, making himself known.

" Cloud, how are you?" Axel grinned. " How's life-"

" Don't' talk to me in such a smug manner, you bastard!" Cloud shouted, rushing at Axel. His sword gleamed as he swung vertically.

Axel simply leaped back and landed quickly gracefully on the blunt edge of Cloud's sword. He grinned at the man's shocked face as his weight successfully buried the one-edged sword into the floor, rendering it useless. He then looked at Riku, Naminé, Auron, and Rinoa, who were all staring at him, just as stunned.

" Lesson one: Never carry around a weapon as tall as you are and twice as heavy," Axel declared.

" You…bastard," Cloud grunted as he tried to pull his sword out.

" Where's the Princess, Axel?" Auron demanded.

" Not here," Axel shrugged and turned away. He stopped short as Riku stood before him, his Soul Eater pointing at his throat.

" What did you do to her? The portal; Rinoa said something about a portal. Where did you send her?"

" To the journey into that bastard's past," Axel smirked, unphased by the sword at his throat. " Thought it might teach the other two to let the Organization be-"

" What!"

A billion thoughts rushed through his head, processing the new information. _Tetsu and Zidane!_

" The portal's still open," Naminé suddenly gasped.

" For a very good reason," Axel replied, teleporting to a safe distance from Riku's growing fury. He made some swift movements with his hands. " Journey into the beginning and despair at your misfortune!"

" Look out!" Rinoa yelled as Cloud backed off from his lodged sword, horrified at the growing tear into nothingness.

It was too late. Naminé screamed as she, Riku, and Auron vanished. Then Axel made a fist and a tearing motion; both portals sealed up. Then he bowed to the stunned Cloud and Rinoa mockingly and vanished.

""

An endless sea. An empty, clouded sky. A howling sea wind. Gloom. No land. No life.

For miles one could see the rolling, churning surface of the gray sea, foaming in unseen turmoil. A wind blew endlessly this way and that, tossing along nothing underneath a thick blanket of gray storm clouds.

In the midst of the wind, something hovered, following the air current. Hands hung out as it floated over the ocean. The only sounds it produced were the faint clinking of chains around its neck and the flapping of its clothing. Other than that, it was as lifeless as the sea and the sky, as it floated about aimlessly.

Then the eyes opened. A small crack between the closed lids revealed empty sapphire flecks. Then the eyes closed again.

The wind carried away the child into the unknown. The sleeping was still in deep slumber.

**Author's Endnote:** The next chapter's going to take forever to update, sorry. I appreciate long reviews and plenty of questions but short reviews will do if that's all you can say. So are we cool or what? Until next time…


	13. Intertwined

**Author's Note**: Finally, the answer to Axel's surprise move on those six people will be revealed! Sorry to have kept you people waiting; I had so much to do, including updating Chapter 74 of my fanfiction 'Kingdom Hearts: The Secrets of Memories' and homework. In fact, I should be doing my homework right now but we'll get to that later. This chapter's pretty interesting, I think…though I was falling asleep as I was writing the exchange between Riku and Naminé so please excuse the confusion. I dunno how to fix it.

**Copyrights**: All characters belong to Square Enix and Disney except for Tetsu and someone who will be revealed at the end of the chapter. Oh and that goes for the other three characters, though one of them is named after an old friend of mine who I met on I should say hi to her, come to think of it…The plot is mine. The song lyrics, however, aren't mine, and the version I'm referring to is sung by Kenny Loggins.

Also, please note the two sites listed in **Author's Endnote.** Thank you and enjoy!

**Rain of Sorrow**

**Chapter 12: Intertwined**

The world spun forever.

She closed her eyes tightly, cried out the first name that came to her mind. The limbo swallowed all sound and she kept repeating the unknown word, tried to keep her sanity as she fell through the nothingness. She felt something, held onto it, but couldn't tell what it was, what it felt like; the nothingness destroyed all the senses.

She thought she was going to die.

''

The warm breeze caressed her cold skin. Kairi stirred, suddenly realized it was warm air she was breathing. All the cold emptiness had dissolved into a world of warmth and life.

" Hey."

Kairi blinked, saw nothing through her red bangs, and closed her eyes tightly, escaping whatever lay beyond the curtain of hair.

This isn't Kansas anymore… 

" Kairi?"

This wasn't Hollow Bastion; she could feel the difference in the air around her. Where did the portal take them?

" You okay?"

That voice…

A hand brushed aside her hair and she opened her eyes again, as wide as she dared. She saw tall yellow-hued buildings, smokestacks in the distance, a tall clock tower, and a twilit sky.

" Twilight Town," she whispered and closed her eyes tightly. She curled up into herself, away from the continuing nightmare. She can't be at Twilight Town; how was that possible-

Axel.

She shuddered, made a fist. No, not him, not that name! Did he do this, create an illusion of another world, or did he really send her to this place far from Hollow Bastion and safety?

" It's okay, Kairi. He's gone, he's not here." Something caressed her cheek and she felt herself go warm. The tension melted away. " It's okay."

" Who…" she whispered.

" It's me."

She mouthed a name, remembered her revelation back at Hollow Bastion, and shied away from the touch, pressed against the soft warmth that provided as a pillow for her head.

" Is she up?" Someone approached.

" She's not trying. She's scared as hell," a voice above her spoke.

" Well we can't move if she doesn't try to get up. Can you carry her?"

" Of course I can carry her! Do I _want_ to carry her? No. End of story."

" Still in denial?"

" Shut up. I don't know what you're talking about. Stop blabbering nonsense."

" Yeah, yeah, deny it all you want. But she's got to move."

" Convince her, Zidane. I dare you."

" Hey, she's your responsibility, not mine. I'm just being charitable here in sticking with you two. Can't afford to let you two come to blows, can I?"

" Don't test me."

Zidane? Tetsu…all three of them were here, in the middle of Twilight Town, far from Hollow Bastion, far from friends, far from Riku, far from home.

"…Tetsu?" she whispered, her hand reaching out.

" I'm here." A black-clad arm entered her periphery and his hand held hers. " Kairi, you have to get up. We can't stay here forever."

She nodded once, then felt his arms pull her up into a sitting position. She leaned against his shoulder, her head swimming. She closed her eyes tightly, waited for the dizziness to dissolve into normalcy, then opened them again. Her head clear, she began to assess what it was that had just taken place. From the way she felt, she knew she had been out for a very long time.

How long was I gone? What time is it? 

She saw the clock tower and read its face. She then tilted her head and saw the impassive expression on Tetsu's face. She studied the look for a few seconds, then it hit her.

_Has he been sitting here until I woke up? How could _he_ be so patient-_

And then she realized that whatever it was her head was resting on, it wasn't a pillow. She stared at Tetsu's very still cross-legged pose and felt herself go red.

The other people around here, what are they going to assume? 

She couldn't bear the thought that others would assume the two were 'together'. That would be betraying her memories of Sora.

And then there was Zidane.

Kairi saw him pacing back and forth across the rose-hued yellow ground, his dagger safely sheathed on his belt. His tail whipped around restlessly as he tossed a gold coin in his hand. Beyond him there were a few other people walking by but the only thing they were staring at was Zidane's extra-special appendage.

She smiled slightly, remembered her own first reaction to his tail. Maybe there was some interesting story behind it, a secret tale…

" Kairi," Tetsu whispered into her ear, " we have to go. We can't stay here; it's not safe."

" I heard about the clock tower," Zidane spoke up, looking in the direction of the tallest building. " Something about the people who live there. We should go there first, before we try to figure out why the hell we're here-"

" Before Destiny Islands, I was here," Tetsu said abruptly. " That's what he said. " Go back to the last world of your miserable adventure." This was the last world before Destiny Islands, before things changed…but this isn't an adventure. It never was. It was misery."

He felt silent, ending all discussion. For a few uneasy minutes nobody looked at each other or spoke a word. Then Zidane dared to clear his throat and the heavy silence shattered.

" I'll go…ask some questions, see what the situation is around here," the thief said. " If anything happens, just whistle. You do know how to…um…whistle…"

Tetsu stared at him until he trailed off. The silence was enough.

" Right…I'll be back in hopefully ten minutes-"

" Don't tell them who we are," Kairi whispered, counting the cracks on the tiled ground. " Our business is our own. If they ask too many questions, leave. Come back to us."

Tetsu and Zidane both stared at her. Then Zidane nodded. " Okay."

He dashed off, his feet barely making a sound. Kairi watched him disappear around a corner, then sighed and closed her eyes again. Her whole body ached; she felt so tired, exhausted. She wished she was back home at Destiny Islands, in a large soft bed, sleeping and dreaming about endless sunny days on the beach and the laughter of children…

A hand touched her cheek and she instantly pulled back.

" Hey, you okay?"

She nodded, kept her eyes closed. What would she be doing right now, if she were back home?

" Some day, huh?"

What were the others doing right now? What about Riku? What would he be doing?

" Kairi?"

" I'm so tired," she murmured. " I wish I was home."

" I wish I _had_ a home."

A breeze was picking up, a much colder one. The skies of Twilight Town never change from day to night but the shift in the warmth and cold told one when night was falling and day was rising. Kairi shivered, rubbed her bare upper arm.

" You cold?"

She shook her head but couldn't stop trembling as night quickened its pace, turning the air to ice. She felt Tetsu shift, felt his arm around her. He pulled her close to him and she huddled in the sparse warmth he provided.

The minutes passed. There were fewer and fewer people wandering the streets and many buildings were going dark. The clock tower rang dolefully and faithfully, as it should every thirty minutes. Zidane had not returned.

" Where is he?" she heard Tetsu mutter faintly. She bit her lip at a sudden blast of cold, felt goosebumps rush up her unprotected legs and shivered. Why was she still wearing her sleeveless shirt and skirt? Why couldn't she have changed today, when she was still at Hollow Bastion? Why didn't she ever consider the fact she could die of the cold outside in a world no longer familiar to her?

"…if Zidane doesn't come back, we're out of here…"

Cold, it was so cold. When was Twilight Town ever this cold?

"…Kairi? Kairi, stay with me here…"

The voice faded away in the roar of silence as her senses shut down, leaving her to spiral into the dark realm of sleep. She felt her body go numb, despite Tetsu's presence, and sank into the blissful warmth of slumber…

''

Tetsu sighed in frustration as he pulled her as close to him as he dared. He felt very uncomfortable, with her being this close, but he knew better than to let her freeze in this miserable weather. Problem was, she was already going cold.

" Kairi?" he called out. " Kairi? Kairi, answer me. C'mon, wake up."

He touched her face and felt the chill. She shivered involuntarily and he found himself literally hugging her from a sitting position, trying to keep her warm.

" Godfuckingdamn you, Zidane," he hissed as he placed his chin on the top of her head. " I hope you didn't just dump us or something."

Kairi was growing colder. Tetsu was no longer willing to wait. He doubt he had the capacity to remain passive and patient any longer. He slowly picked her up as he got to his feet, grimacing at the fact he really did have to carry her.

" Can you carry her?" 

" _Of course I can carry her! Do I _want_ to carry her? No. End of story."_

" Kairi," he whispered, looking down at her peaceful face. She was breathing lightly and her crimson bang stood out sharply against her pale face. Her lips gave a hint of blue.

Tetsu didn't get more than three hundred feet from where they originally were when someone called out to him.

" Hey!" Zidane shouted as he ran up to the taller man. " What did I say about-"

" What took you so long?" Tetsu cut him off.

" I was asking questions-"

" For three fucking hours? That's insane."

" Hey, there weren't a lot of people out here, and nobody had any map of this damn city. How stupid can that be, seriously-"

" Look you stupid bastard, we're getting out of this damn weather."

" Why-"

" Kairi's freezing to death or will die of hypothermia. We're finding a motel for the night." Tetsu began to walk off but Zidane soon stopped him.

" No, we're going to the clock tower. I've asked and nothing about the clock tower's changed-"

" Look, what's it with you and the damn clock tower? We're finding an inn. Tomorrow we'll go visit the tower, okay? What month is it?"

" What?" Zidane was getting quite tired of the barrage but was caught off-guard by the last question. " February. Why?"

Tetsu didn't even bother to answer. He kept walking, not waiting for Zidane to take the cue and follow him. Tetsu knew which inn to stay; he had become quite friendly with some of the people running it.

" I hope they remember me," he muttered as they neared a five-story building with a sign on top of the double doors.

" The Gullwing Inn?" Zidane demanded, coming to a halt. He looked right to the clock tower. " But-"

" No buts," Tetsu snapped back. He shifted his hold slightly to keep Kairi from possibly falling to the floor. " Open the damn doors, dammit!"

Zidane growled at him. " Someone's crabby today. I wonder why."

His voice was taunting at the last part, just enough to irritate Tetsu even further. " Hey, I'm just here to look for Sora so don't start making things complicated-"

" You already did," Zidane retorted, opening the doors for him. " I'm just stating the facts – oh!"

A very young blonde woman with a pile of braids on her head looked up from the glass and wood counter she was wiping wildly. She looked up, stared at Zidane's tail, then Zidane, then Tetsu, and lastly the woman in his arms. Her bright green eyes widened.

" Barret! Brother! Buddy! Paine! Shinra! He's back! He's back, he's back, he's back, he's back-"

" Rikku!" A tall, stocky black man strode out of some room behind the counter. He seemed to have been busy oiling the parts on his huge steel right arm. " Stop shouting – Tetsu! Am I glad to see you! What misfortune have you run into now?"

Tetsu spotted Zidane raising an eyebrow at the statement. The brunet man glared back before saying, " Enough. Where's the others, Barret?"

" They're busing oiling down another order," Barret jerked his head back at the door frame. " Slow business. The damn Heartless are going after trains again. Might have to start the airship business again. Wish Cid was here."

Tetsu nodded some as a short person in a gray smock and what looked like a gas mask trudged in from a door across the lobby from the counter. Zidane stared at it – him?

" Been a while, Tetsu. Same room?"

Tetsu tilted his head towards Zidane. " We need some extra rooms. Any to spare?"

The little person shrugged, then looked straight at Zidane. The thief shook at the mask but the person only said, " You seem familiar. Someone might have inquired about you. Can't say I remember who, though."

Tetsu looked at Zidane, who had gone very pale.

" Sorry, Tetsu," Barret shook his head as he tinkered at a computer on the counter with his left hand. " Got only one room on the fourth floor, 462. Got two bedrooms, one bathroom, and the rest of the usual works. Now, explain to me who the hell she is."

Rikku was giggling into the rag she was using to wipe the countertop. Tetsu felt himself turn red as he realized what the problem was. And how it looked like. _Damn my luck…_

" She's a friend of ours," Zidane said haltingly, looking at Tetsu for help and obviously finding none. " She gets really weak in the cold, if you know what I mean…"

He drifted off, laughing nervously.

" It's a good thing you brought her here," the little person remarked. " Tonight's a bad night for her to be out."

Everyone stared at him. Tetsu said quite slowly, " What the hell does that mean, Shinra?"

The little person, Shinra, looked at Tetsu, then Zidane, then Kairi. " I think I know who she is."

Tetsu tensed instantaneously and Zidane crouched down low, his tail whipping back and forth with apprehension and tension. Barret misunderstood and raised his right arm but Shinra spoke again, saving everyone from chaos.

" No, I won't say it aloud so everyone calm down. If I am right – and I know I am – then tonight the Heartless will be searching. Say with her, Tetsu. Protect her."

Tetsu scowled at the familiar, increasingly back-breaking order. " Y'think I don't know that?"

" Wait," Zidane interjected. " How do you know…about…her?"

Shinra looked at him once more, then turned and strode back into the next room where he was working.

" I know everything."

Zidane stared at where the smaller person used to be. Then he looked at everyone for an explanation.

" That's what he always says," Rikku sighed, rolling her eyes. " Don't believe him. I never do."

Barret stared after Shinra for some time, then smiled grimly. " Want your room now?"

Tetsu nodded then motioned for Zidane to get the key. Zidane snatched the copper key from Barret's hand, then bolted. Before he reached the hall beyond the lobby, he came to a stop, then turned around and demanded, " What room again?"

" 462, the fourth floor," Barret answered automatically. The black man then turned to Tetsu. " We'll amp up the security tonight. What are you three planning to do here anyways?"

Tetsu dared a look at the woman in his arms. Then he tilted his head at Barret. " Can't say for sure. Zidane's obsessed with the tower, though. Anything special about it?"

Barret mused for a few seconds, though he kept looking at Kairi. Heat suddenly washed over Tetsu, made him feel suddenly possessive and protective of the Princess. He closed his eyes, swallowed several times to try and calm himself but his heart kept pounding in his ears.

Godfuckingdammit what's wrong with me? 

" There were…four kids living in the clock tower," Barret said slowly. " One of them, he left the tower two years ago. Never came back. The others are still living there. I see them once in a while. Why?"

" Nothing special about them?"

" Only that the kid that never came back had something do with some king and these three other kids and a witch. Sounds familiar?"

Tetsu shook his head. " Only the witch but…I'll just ask Zidane. Night, Barret. Thanks."

He closed his eyes again, held Kairi close, and willed himself into room 462. Once his feet touched the ground, he opened his eyes and found himself in a room with two beds. The carpet was green, the walls in a myriad of reds and oranges. There was a plain oak dresser opposite the beds and a mirror hung on the wall against the dresser. To his right was a large window and to his left were the bathroom and the door. And Zidane.

His jaw dropped and the key clattered to the floor. " How'd you-"

Tetsu regarded him with disdain. " I teleport."

He strode to one of the beds, with Zidane in tow and still in shock. " Just like _them_."

Tetsu glared at him. " No, not like _them_. And pull back the covers."

Zidane blinked, then meekly obeyed, pulling back the white sheets. Tetsu gently laid Kairi on the bed, then pulled the covers up to her neck. He sighed, suddenly felt exhausted. He looked at Zidane, who was looking just as tired.

" Who gets the other bed?" Zidane yawned, lying flat on his back on the other bed.

" Smart move," Tetsu snorted, then sat down on the foot of the opposite bed. He put his elbows on his knees, propped his head up with his hands, and stared at Zidane. " About the clock tower-"

" Tomorrow," Zidane yawned. He then literally crawled into the blankets, making what looked like a bird's nest, and curled up in the middle of it. Tetsu stared at him, tried to understand what just took place. Then it dawned on him that he had nowhere to sleep.

" Damn you, Zidane," he muttered, then sighed. He looked at Kairi, saw that she was still sleeping. He beheld her vulnerability, the innocence that masked all the pain, anguish, and sorrow that he knew was there. Then slowly he pulled himself up the bed until he was sitting next to her. He looked down at her and couldn't help but smile uncertainly.

" So this is what life does to us," he whispered, stroking her cheek softly. " The three of us, stuck together in a world foreign to our journeys. Alone, to find our own answers…"

He still recalled what Shinra told Zidane.

" _You seem familiar. Someone might have inquired about you. Can't say I remember who, though."_

"…intertwined, our journeys twisting together in a chain…I can't escape you, can I?" Tetsu sighed, then held out his left arm. The Oathkeeper – she called it by that name, he remembered – flashed into his hand. He studied its pale, pure beauty, gave the handle an expert, careful spin, then willed it away.

"…our own answers…" Tetsu murmured, leaning back on the headboard. " What will it take to find our answers…"

He closed his eyes, then felt the flames of the fire around him. He swung his Keyblades apprehensively, couldn't think over the roar of the fire. The heat was scorching him, hot air blowing in his face and forcing his eyes shut. Caught in the middle of a circle of fire, scorched and blinded, he cried out her name.

" Kairi!"

_Why? What is she doing to me? Why am I acting like this? I've never…depended on someone like this before…have I?_

And still he remembered.

_The sun. The cry of birds. And the song of a waterfall._

Quietly he whispered words from a song he heard once, in Cid's mechanic shop.

When the last eagle flies

Over the last crumbling mountain,

And the last lion roars

At the last dusty fountain.

In the shadow of the forest,

Though she may be old and worn,

They will stare unbelieving

At the last unicorn.

When the first breath of winter

Through the flowers is icing.

And you look to the north,

And a pale moon is rising,

And it seems like all is dying,

And would leave the world to mourn.

In the distance, hear the laughter

Of the last unicorn…

I'm alive

I'm alive

When the last moon is cast,

Over the last star of morning,

And the future is past

Without even a last desperate warning,

Then look into the sky where through

The clouds, a path is torn.

Look and see her, how she shimmers.

It's the last unicorn…

I'm alive

I'm alive

I'm alive

I'm alive…

""

" The next time my tongue turns blue, I'm roasting you all for dinner!" Cid Highwind barked and slammed the door, shutting out the mad cackling of three duck geniuses who ran the Items Shop. " Once I find Donald, those three will never sneak crap into my food again!"

He grasped the doorknobs of the Accessories Store and pulled the doors open. The doors didn't budge. Clenching the cigarette tightly between his teeth, Cid yanked at the doors again but they stayed firmly shut.

" Aw crap!" he swore, stepping back and chewing on his cigarette. " Where's Yuffie when you need her? But what's the use; she's gonna say, " The Old Man locking himself out again? We're calling the nursing home and the hospital right now," and all she'll do is laugh in my face. Grr…this is the third time this week I have to get in through the Moogle shop…"

The former airship pilot and gummi ship expert stormed up the stairs and strode into the Moogle Shop.

" Kupo?" a Moogle questioned.

" Locked the front doors again," Cid grumbled some, walking to the trap door.

Several of the Moogles giggled behind the shards they were synthesizing.

" That's NOT funny!"

He opened the trap door and climbed down the ladder to the last rung. He jumped down, glared up at the trap door, then strode to the doors. He stopped and raised an eyebrow at a white sign dangling jauntily from the doorknobs.

" Automatic Locking Doors brought to you by Louie, Huey, and Dewey. Enjoy!"

An inhuman growl rose in Cid's throat. " Those bastards…"

He tore off the sign and shoved the doors open. Louie, Huey, and Dewey stood beyond the stairs in front of the store and waved cheerfully at him. Before Cid could let go of the doors and hunt them down for dinner as he promised, they took off. Louie called out, " Don't let go of the doors, Cid, if you want to get back into your shop!"

" You little bastards!" Cid barked after them. " Get your asses back here!"

They were gone; he was yelling at no one.

" Goddammit-"

He heard an audible _pop!_

Not even a second later, Cid found his face squashed into the ground, with very heavy 'live' weight on his back.

" What the fu-" he began when he found himself staring at some boots and the hem of a long red coat.

" Cid Highwind?"

He arched his neck up to see the person better. " Auron? How-"

" Later. Not out here. You two, get off him. We'll go into your shop-"

" Who?" Cid suddenly wished he could turn his head around three hundred sixty degrees.

" Sorry, Cid," a very familiar voice laughed nervously. Then the two people got off his back and Cid scrambled to his feet. He turned and stared. " Riku? Naminé? I-I don't get it. What the-"

" Shop," Auron interrupted sternly.

Cid looked behind him at the closed doors and chomped on his still-whole cigarette. " No can do. Gotta go the Moogle Shop way-"

" Why can't we go through the front doors?" Naminé asked curiously, brushing at her pale cream dress.

" Good question; I don't know," Cid fired back.

Riku stared at Cid from behind his dark shades. Then the tall teenager turned and opened the doors.

Cid just about died. When he finally regained his composure, he stammered, " But-but…the triplets…the bastards, they…"

" The triplets?" Naminé wondered, confused.

" The three terrors," Auron said calmly. He strode past the three people into the store. " Close the doors. We need to talk. You have been getting messages from Leon, right?"

" Signals and reports. Until last night; machine went bust or sumptin'," Cid grumbled, waiting for Riku and Naminé to get in before closing the door behind him. " And I'm frankly confused. What happened? How the hell did you tree get here? I heard of two other people, in particular our Seventh Princess. Details, I need details!"

He crossed his arms, glared at them. Riku shifted on his feet, Naminé was staring at the fireplace, and Auron remained eerily impassive.

" Someone destroyed the internal defense system," Riku said slowly, running a hand through his hair and sighing in frustration. " The Organization broke in. We lost Kairi-"

" What!" Cid barked, spitting out his cigarette in the process. " Excuse me!"

" We lost three people. Kairi, Zidane, and someone else you don't know were thrown into a portal like the one that brought us here," Auron explained deftly.

" 'Journey to the beginning and despair at your misfortune'," Naminé murmured. " Here, it all began here…"

" What did?" Auron asked as everyone turned to the witch.

" Sora's journey," she said softly, touching the fireplace. " It began in Traverse Town. From here…to the other worlds."

" So what happened to the others?" Cid demanded. " Do you realize that Kairi's out there-"

" Zidane's with her; he'll know what to do," Riku interrupted.

" They're not going to come back looking for us," Auron retorted, giving Riku a hard stare. " Nor will we go look for them. We aren't going to search for them; we're searching for Sora and that's that. We're writing separate stories now on the same journey. If it weren't for Axel, things might have been harder -"

" You do realize that this is the _Princess of Heart_ we're talking about, right?" Cid interjected. " You won't know what the hell's going on and where they are-wait a minute. Axel? Did you just say Axel? And I'm quite sure you mentioned three people. Who's the third person? Cloud? Rinoa? Leon, maybe? Or – God forbid – Yuffie?"

Riku turned away, obviously no longer interested in the conversation.

" There…is a person. Someone special, I should say. He's looking for Sora," Auron said slowly, scrutinizing the crystal on the counter. " These Moogles are getting better…"

" He's looking for Sora?" Cid echoed, scratching his head. " A stranger looking for Sora-he is, a stranger, right? Do we know him?"

" Only Kairi," Naminé answered. " And even then, she doesn't know much. He came to Destiny Islands one day. A week later, the Heartless struck."

" Either the Heartless followed him or he led them to Destiny Islands."

Naminé looked at Riku, frowning. " Riku! What are you saying?"

" We don't know who the hell he is!" Riku snapped back, his voice shaking. " He's a total stranger and we're entrusting Kairi to him! Do you have any idea how crazy that sounds? We don't know his past or why he's looking for Sora! Hell, he could be lying about the whole thing! If he's working for the Organization, then we're all fucked up-"

" Riku!" Auron barked.

" Think about it!" Riku shouted, turning on all of them. Cid felt his jaw drop and knew he had lost his freshly lit cigarette. " If you haven't realized it, we've been going around with a total stranger, entrusting him with our deepest secrets, especially about who we are. How stupid are we to do something like that? But you know why that's what we did? Because of the damn Keyblades! When I was in the Darkness, I had the Heart Unlocker and I was able to steal Sora's Keyblade! What makes you think he's incapable of working for the Organization? Remember-"

" I remember alright," Auron interrupted harshly.

Riku stuttered for a moment, then said, " He's not our friend. He can't be trusted."

" Kairi trusts him," Naminé replied quietly.

" She doesn't!" Riku snapped back with a snarl. Naminé took a step back at the force in his voice. " She's only sticking around him because he reminds her of Sora! But he isn't! And nobody trusts him so why should she? You can't trust a stranger who abruptly crashes in with the Princess of Heart around the same time the Heartless appear! You can't trust a person who _knew_ the Heartless were here searching for Kairi when they hadn't the last two years! You can't trust the only person who's capable of sabotaging our goals and purpose! Nobody knows who the hell he is, damn it! He never told us! He has no explanation for himself, his weapons, or his fucking trench coat! He never says anything about why he's looking for Sora in the first place! He can't be trusted! No one can and no one could-"

" I trust him," Naminé spoke in a quiet voice. Riku fell silent swiftly as the witch turned away. " I trust him…because I feel sympathy for his plight. And you make me feel more for him. Why do you hate him, Riku? What has he done to you? Or are you that distrustful of people? Is the past coming back?"

Her voice shook as she turned and strode out of the store.

" Naminé!" Riku shouted, running after her.

Cid watched them go, then turned to Auron. " Care to explain what just happened?"

''

Naminé stormed up the stairs, sniffing, biting her lip, trying to hold back the tears. Her heart beat rapidly with a deafening roar in her ears as she climbed her way up the last flight of stairs and shoved open the doors into the Second District. She could hear Riku shout out her name before the doors closed behind her with an unharmonious booming noise.

She ran down the stairs to the bottom floor and stumbled into the wall. She bit her lip hard and tasted iron, then staggered to her feet. She made her way, clumsily, to the dead fountain, where she sat down on the ledge and began to cry.

_He hasn't changed. He loves Kairi, loves her so much. That kind of love is so dangerous. It blinds him, blinds him to everything out there, everyone else…like me…_

She felt the tears run between her fingers as she hid her face with her hands and cried out, " Oh god, why's this happening? What went wrong? Why is there so much hatred?"

_If he doesn't change, we're doomed. He'll alienate everyone and he'd be left alone to find his way to Kairi…it's always about Kairi, always people loving her. Why was I born when she was born? Why was I fated to be a mere shadow? Why am I nothing but Kairi's shadow? Can't anyone see me?_

" This isn't it!" she screamed at no one. " I can't hate her, I can't hate him, I can't hate anyone! This isn't the answer, never the answer! All this hatred…is there nothing I can do about it?"

_That was not the Riku I know. The night before we went to Hollow Bastion, he told me everything, showed me what he could be, what he's afraid to be. But since Tetsu, he's never been the same. Is it love, jealousy, or something deeper?_

She sniffed, felt the tears drying on her face. She kept staring at the ground, trying to block out the outside world.

_He hates Tetsu because Kairi's always with him. And it blinds him to the rest of the world, to the people around him. What about me? Where do I fit into the picture? Or am I really a mere shadow, never to be acknowledged? I've loved Sora but I've been nothing more than a shadow of the girl he loves. But what am I to Riku? Am I a shadow…or nothing at all?_

" Naminé?"

She shook her head. " Why the distrust, Riku? Why the hate?"

" I don't hate him-"

" Your language, your attitude, the way you act, it all says you do. Why?"

" Naminé-"

" You'll never have her, Riku," she spoke before she realized it.

There was a heavy silence, then his steely voice retorted, " That's not your business-"

" It is!" Naminé shouted, turning around to a very shocked Riku. " You're so obsessed over Kairi that you can't even _think_ straight! People at Hollow Bastion weren't all that happy with the way you carried yourself, especially in the same room as Tetsu! Did you even know that? I doubt you did. Do you realize what's happening, Riku? You're becoming a problem! Oh don't deny it; you're the one causing the most trouble! Right now, this is the team: you, me, and Auron. If you can't work with us, we'll never find her!"

She breathed heavily, glared at him while she felt the tears flow down her face. She wiped her eyes and Riku blurred for a few minutes. She was crying in front of him but she didn't care anymore.

" I'm sorry-"

" No you're not. You're not sincere. And here's some food for thought: we're in this together, twisted in a trap. Interwoven, intertwined, same thing; we have to rely on each other and that means trust, too. If we are to work together to find Kairi, Sora, the other Princesses' hearts, and the Door of Light, we need to trust each other. If you can't trust us, we can't trust you. Got it?"

She stare at a gaping Riku, realized he probably didn't expect such a barrage from Naminé. After all, Naminé was a witch, a peaceable, gentle woman, not someone with a sharp tongue and a temper.

_But we're in this together. He needs to understand! Life is full of risks, like trusting others. He's made huge mistakes before; he's got to learn from them, not hide from them!_

" You don't think I can trust people?" Riku asked rather coldly, taking a step forward.

" No, I don't think you're willing to."

Riku fell silent, chose to look up at the huge factory that dominated the Second District. She watched him through her tears, the strong angular profile of someone hurt by her words. She instantly felt a pang of regret, wanted to say she was sorry.

" I-"

" You're right," Riku whispered, as he continued to stare at the white building. " I don't want to trust people. I don't want to take the risk. What if that person was just using me, my ignorance…or my power? What if that person was lying about himself the whole entire time, saying he could be trusted when his secret motive could destroy me?"

" I know what you mean." It suddenly dawned on Naminé what was going on in his mind. " But Riku, they're not alive anymore. They're dead. I know what they've done to you, but you know we're your friends. Is there any reason to distrust us now, our thoughts, or decisions, our words, our actions, our faith?"

" That's not it-"

" She can handle herself, Riku. You should know by now that she hates being the one to sit out a fight, especially if it involves her. That's why she fights, too. And…and if Tetsu can't be trusted, she won't be alone. There's Zidane."

" He's not normal," Riku suddenly spoke. " Tetsu, I mean."

Naminé blinked at him as he turned to her, rubbed her eyes. Once her eyes didn't feel so crusted, she spoke. " So you know."

Riku stared. " What do you mean ' So you know'? Know what?"

" That Tetsu's not normal. That he's like _them_."

" Those two? That's impossible. He's nothing like them. He can't be."

" You know Tetsu's not like us. He's a Keybearer, like you, like King Mickey, like Sora, like-"

" He's not a Keyblade Master," Riku interjected stubbornly, refused to believe a word of it.

" Nor are you."

Riku paled. " That's not-"

" Are you afraid, Riku?" Naminé asked softly, standing and looking him eye-to-eye. She shivered slightly as she found herself drawn to his icy eyes. " What are you afraid of?"

Riku seemed to hesitate, tried to look away. She touched his face, gently turned his head to look at her. " Answer me, Riku. What are you afraid of?"

His lips moved, whispered, " Myself."

She stared at him, stunned more by his willingness to answer than the answer itself. The word echoed, pained her. " Why?"

They were practically nose-to-nose. She could feel the icy heat radiating from him, the sorrow and guilt enveloping him. " Riku, it's not your fault."

" You don't understand-"

" It's not your fault, Riku. You have to understand that none of this was your doing. If things were different, there would be no pain, no suffering. You'd be home with Sora, Kairi, Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie, living life in sweet, innocent oblivion-"

" I wanted to leave the Islands, Naminé," Riku said quietly, looking away. " I wanted to go…because I was so bored with my life. And the night before the three of us were to leave on that raft…they struck. And I chose the Darkness. My choice, Naminé; it was my decision that ruined everything…"

Naminé wanted to cry, to hug him, and tell him it would be alright, that he was a victim of Fate, a victim of the machinations of the Darkness. But deep inside her heart, her own voice agreed with Riku. He accepted the Darkness…and the Keyblade chose Sora.

It was Riku that shaped Sora's destiny. And in the process, he shaped the destiny of those Sora would meet, the lives of those who touched upon his life.

_But what of Kairi? And who's Tetsu?_

She studied the regret in his face, felt moved to speak. " It wasn't your curiosity that brought the Heartless. They were going to come anyways. But it was your choice that denied you your right as the Keyblade Master."

" That's not-"

" But Riku," she murmured, turning his face back to her, " everything you've done you've redeemed yourself. You are free of all the sins of your past. Let it all go away; don't let it trouble you anymore. You've done more to help our cause than destroy it."

" But I-"

" Oh stop denying it, Riku. Even you need a pat on the back sometimes," she retorted, though she spoke with a slight smile. " You've done so much, can't you at least acknowledge that? All you need to do is learn to trust and everything'll be alright…won't it?"

For a moment she saw trouble in his eyes, then Riku smiled as well, nodded. " I guess I can try. But that doesn't mean I can't worry like crazy."

" No, Riku, no one can deny you that right. Just make sure to keep your mind in check when you do. We should really be getting back now, though. We owe Cid a serious explanation."

Riku looked worried. " And then there's Auron-"

Naminé didn't hear him, turned to a clattering sound on the roof. That was swiftly followed by squabbling, plenty of "Fire!", and shuffling feet, all on the rooftop of the factory. Riku stopped in mid-sentence as well, followed her gaze to the source of the sound, but didn't see much. That was, until a fiery explosion that fired something white and blue straight at them. It was wailing all the way.

" Donald?" she gasped, before Riku knocked her to the floor.

There was a violent crash, followed by squalling. Naminé tried to push Riku off but saw he was staring back at the factory roof. She followed his gaze and her stomach dropped.

Donald, coughing and sputtering, pulled himself out of the fountain and landed in a heap at their feet.

" Donald?" Riku questioned slowly, shocked that he would be there. " What are you doing here? And where's Goofy?"

" Don't know," Donald replied haltingly. " Lost him when the ship exploded – Naminé? What are you two doing here anyways?"

" Your ship exploded!" Riku exclaimed.

" Heartless!" Naminé screamed.

The circling Wyverns, their feet outstretched and claws gleaming, dove. Some bore scorch marks but all seemed relatively unharmed. Which was a bad thing.

The unofficial Keybearer, the witch, and the wizard rose to meet them.

""

…_the white unicorn turned and walked away. Her obsidian hooves set in the grasses in a pre-determined path. It wasn't something random; her hooves went _here_ and _here_ and _here_. The grass grew boldly in her wake and the silver moon shone blue on her flowing main and long tail._

_The unicorn stopped once more and turned to face her, her large almond-shaped eyes filled with wisdom and age. She blinked once, then turned away, the light at the tip of her single horn lighting the way into the mysterious, dark forest that was her domain._

_Kairi watched it melt into the shadows of the forest, before the shadow grew, enveloping the world around her. It grew inky black, devoid of all the senses, the limbo that guided her to this world. She tried to scream as she felt herself drop, cried for Sora but knew he wouldn't answer. He never will._

Sora, where are you? I need you, please.

_Then flames rose up before her and Axel's cruel form loomed into view. She looked up, horrified. He only laughed and pointed to the center of the circle of fire. Someone stood there, someone she couldn't recognize. Then, in the glow of the fire, she knew._

" _Sora?" she whispered._

_The figure turned to her. As he turned he became Zidane, then Riku, then Tetsu. The latter-named looked her straight in the eye, then uttered a name as the fire enveloped him._

" _Kairi."_

_She screamed, reached for him, but she felt Axel pulling her away, just like before._

" _No!" she yelled, tried to fight out of the iron grip. " Tetsu, no!"_

_She turned around to strike Axel but was confronted by Sora himself. She gasped, stared at his tearstained face._

" _You said you'd wake for me until I came back."_

_She stared at him, horrified. " N-no, that's not it! Sora-"_

" _You promised."_

Promises… 

" _Go."_

_He pushed her away even as she reached for him. " Sora-"_

" _Leave." He turned and slowly walked away into the darkness that suddenly surrounded her again._

" _No…Sora…" she sobbed, collapsing to the floor. The tears ran down her face in a flood, dripping on her hands as she sat there. "Sora…that's not it…I'm sorry, Sora…I'm sorry…"_

_Then warmth enveloped her, blinded her in its dark comfort. She felt a rhythmic beating and another voice whispering._

" _It's okay, Kairi. You're safe now. I'm here."_

_And she drifted off into an endless night-_

Kairi blinked, found herself staring up at the ceiling. What she found particularly bizarre was that the ceiling wasn't exactly red…nor did it ever have a chandelier hanging from it.

_Where am I?_

Slowly she sat up, pushing away the white blankets that had been covering her. She was on a mattress near a large window. There was another bed, with a pile of blankets on it. It was obvious she had not been the only one sleeping in the room-

Kairi flushed involuntarily, turned to her left, and found the unmistakable depression of a human body that obviously had occupied that spot.

_I've been sleeping in the same room as two men. What would the others think of me now?_

She placed her feet on the floor, then looked around. She heard and saw neither Tetsu nor Zidane; only the messy beds told her that they were indeed here.

" What is this place anyways?" Kairi wondered as she looked around. She was very unfamiliar with the room and the scenery out of the window, though she could see the very familiar landmark called the clock tower. But the buildings surrounding the high building were strange, foreign.

She took to exploring the room, not finding much besides the window, the two beds, and oak dresser, and a mirror. She stared at herself for a few minutes, growing horrified by her appearance.

_I need a shower, quick._

She looked around frantically, and someone managed to find the door to the bathroom. It was a descent place, obviously well maintained. The white towels were already hung on the varnished wood rungs and a standard set of shampoo, soap, and lotion sat on the sink counter, untouched.

Kairi wrinkled her nose slightly as she closed the door behind her. She reached into the shower stall, with its clean white tiles and glass walls, and turned the gilt knob. She then began to take off her clothes.

_Note to self: Men are filthy, every last one of them._

So saying, she smiled and stepped into the shower stall.

''

If there was one thing showers were made for, it was to soothe the mind. Standing under the hot water, Kairi found herself able to think more clearly than ever, since the departure from Disney.

And how long had that been? Mere days?

It felt like eternity.

So saying, she turned off the water with a twist of the squeaky knob, and stepped out of the shower stall, wringing her long red hair. She pulled off a tower from the rung and wrapped herself in its worn but comforting white warmth. Owing to the heavy steam in the bathroom she opened the bathroom door and took a step outside.

No one was in the room besides her. Good.

She stepped up to the window and looked outside. The skies of Twilight Town had become noticeably vibrant, which meant it was midday. She felt an unnatural wave of peace fall over her as she continued to look out on the great world. She felt no threat, no fear, no sorrow; the hot water had washed away her worries and the calm, beautiful skies assured her that as long as she was in this world, she was safe.

She turned to go back to the bathroom, get dressed, and go find the two boys. A second later she screamed and swung her hand.

" What the hell!" they both shouted as Tetsu staggered back.

" What the hell was that for, lady?" he continued furiously, raising a hand to his stinging cheek.

Kairi felt herself flush red as she stared at his extremely blank look. " You know, you've got a lot of nerve popping up at a time like this! Where's your sense of decency?"

" What are you talking about?"

Kairi's jaw dropped. " Have you realized I was taking a shower?"

" Well, besides the obvious-"

She felt blood continue to rush into her face. " Obvious? Okay, fine, let's make things simple for a simpleton like you. Don't go popping around in rooms without warning. Pop _outside_ the room next time and _knock_; it's called 'courtesy' and 'respect of privacy'. Get it?"

Tetsu rolled his eyes. " You and your fetish with manners. The more I hear about them, the more I want to break all the rules."

Kairi's jaw went even more slack. " What the hell's the matter with you? The next time you pull of something like this, you're dead."

" Who's going to kill me, you?"

" Don't test me!"

" Look, mind apologizing for that slap in the face?"

" Why should I? You're the one who popped in here without warning while I was practically naked!"

" Then post that "Don't Disturb" sign outside."

" You think that's going to stop you from popping in here?"

" Then why the hell are you yelling at me, lady?"

" Because I see you've got a drained coconut for a head! You need to know some manners around here. And you think I'm not pissed?"

" Seeing you like this all the time, I can't tell."

" What the hell does that mean!"

Tetsu smiled enigmatically. " Wouldn't you like to know."

Kairi flushed angrily, strode up to him, and jabbed a finger at his chest. " Listen you pompous ass, you're pissing me off right now. I don't know what the hell you're plan is but if it involves messing around with me, you'll be sorry."

" Haven't I done that already?"

Kairi opened her mouth angrily, then closed it tightly. She fumed, unable to come up with a sensible argument, other than that Tetsu was a pervert with no respect for women's needs. Well actually, Tetsu was just a jackass who didn't really care about anyone at all-

Her dream came rushing back in a flash. She went cold, remembering Sora's rejection, her despair as he walked away. Her knees shook as her mind flashed back to the beginning of yesterday and the series of events that escalated to today.

" Kairi?" Tetsu asked, concerned as her eyes misted over.

_" Where are you?" _

_" I'm here, always."_

_" I know."_

She looked up at him, studied the lean, pale face with its fiery blue eyes and golden-brown bangs. Continuously she saw _him_, here and there, shifting in and out, interchangeable with another person, one she had met before.

" D-don't look at me…that way…" Tetsu stammered, tried to pull away.

He slowly fell silent, though, and all that remained between them was the silence, that strange, awkward gap between words that always hung between them when Kairi got…'weird'.

" You know," she breathed lightly, " you really do look like-"

" C'mon, midday people! Rise and shine; time to move out and check the clock-oh, sorry, was I interrupting something?"

Zidane clutched the doorknob, tried to keep the growing smirk off his face. Were his eyes deceiving him or was Kairi wearing only a towel around her?

He then eyed the finger jabbing at Tetsu's chest, then at Tetsu himself. The man had gone extremely pale, except for the light blush running across his cheeks.

Zidane cackled madly. " O-ho, so I _was_ interrupting something. Tsk, tsk, naughty people. Honestly, Kairi, I'm so disappointed…"

He kept babbling, full of glee at the horrified stare the both of them shared.

"…I thought something was wrong when Tetsu didn't reappear for a long time but I didn't think it'll be this bad. Shame on you both, hiding-"

" Shut up!" Two pairs of blue eyes glared him down, daring him to say more.

" Alright already!" Zidane exclaimed. " Sheesh! I'll…uh, go on and leave you two to your, er, game?"

Zidane didn't think it was possible but in a matter of seconds Kairi had turned redder than her damp crimson hair.

" Out!" she yelled, shoving Tetsu at the thief while keeping a good hold on the towel. " Get out! We'll go to that damn tower but first get out!"

The two men were practically thrown out into the hall. Kairi stuck her head out the door for one last word.

" I swear, if either one of you tries to sneak in the next fifteen minutes, I will deprive you of your boys. Got that?"

She slammed the door, leaving two very bruised and battered young men to sort themselves out. On either side the other people peeked out of their own rooms, curious about the commotion.

Tetsu muttered some as Zidane brushed dusk and dirt off his arms. The blond thief grinned some but Tetsu only returned a stony stare.

" To the lobby?"

Tetsu shrugged and, to Zidane's amazement, didn't teleport away and leave him without someone to talk to besides that crazy girl Rikku.

Interestingly enough, it was Tetsu who started the short-lived conversation.

" What makes women tick?"

Zidane stared at him, wondered if it really was the stoic albeit baffling stranger who asked that. Then he grinned. Again.

_Denial._

" Men."

''

" And if we find no one at the clock tower?" Kairi asked as the huge building loomed into view.

Zidane shrugged as he tossed his dagger into the air. " Not sure. Assume the worst, then move on. We'll have to skip Fabled Countryside, though. I'm not willing to take my chances with thorny roses."

Kairi nodded, tugged at the ends of her hair. " So…where to?"

" Land of Dragons. Haven't heard nothing about what's going on in that world, though. We'll have to ask Barret about it before we-"

" Mulan's saddled with two kids and a force is gathering at the edge of the empire."

The two of them stopped, watched Tetsu breeze by them. He didn't even acknowledge their existence. Almost.

Zidane felt the beginnings of a smirk on his face when he saw the fleeting sidelong glance Tetsu sent to the Seventh Princess. Cackling some, Zidane sauntered up to the darkly-clad man as they came to the threshold of Twilight Town's landmark.

" Oh no," Tetsu said with a splash of sarcasm. " What are you fantasizing about now?"

" You're asking me? I should ask the same of you, especially since you were the one who popped in just as she finished her shower-"

Zidane quickly stopped when he heard the hint of a snarl.

" You disgust me."

Tetsu put a hand on the doorknob and pushed open the door. He stormed in, leaving Zidane to catch the door and open it for a very bemused Princess.

" Glad to know that."

Kairi eyed him oddly but thought nothing of it as she caught up with Tetsu, who was standing at the foot of a spiraling staircase. He was glaring at them impatiently but no one was going to force Kairi to rush.

Zidane bounded up the stairs, stopped, and called out, " Hello?"

No answer; his call simply echoed. Zidane turned to the other two and shrugged. Kairi bit her lip, then looked to Tetsu, who seemed intent on focusing on something.

" Might as well check. I mean, they can't all just disappear like that, can they?" Zidane questioned lightly as the three of them inched up the spiraling stairs, Zidane in the lead, Kairi safely sandwiched in the middle, and Tetsu bringing up the rear.

" I hope it's Kori," Kairi could hear Zidane muttering. " Adrian'll think it's an ambush and try to kill us…"

Kairi couldn't help but giggle, remembering the only time she met the punker. The suave look on the ever-confident teenager bolstered her spirits immensely after the confusion and chaos that the three wrecked at the Gullwing Motel a few hours earlier.

The stairs spiraled upward as they laboriously climbed each step; at one point, Kairi looked down and involuntarily gasped at the height.

" Hurry up," she could hear Tetsu say, his voice muffled by his coat.

She scowled, glared daggers at him, and caught up with Zidane, who was visibly wilting with each successive step. His tail was dragging now and she took care not to stomp on it, like she wished she could to Tetsu. _If only he had a tail!_

Seconds passed before Zidane sat down in the middle of a particularly obnoxious staircase. Kairi froze and Tetsu bumped into her.

" Now what?" he demanded but Kairi glared him into an uneasy silence.

" Can't…go…on…" Zidane gasped. " Hate…I hate these…stairs…"

Tetsu sighed, rolled his eyes. " Idiot, _now_ you tell me."

Zidane looked up, opened his mouth to say something obviously smartass at the other man but Kairi quickly realized what Tetsu was implying. " Oh no, no way, not that-"

Without warning, those frightening black walls soared into the sky and the ground fell away, leaving her suspended in the air for a few seconds. She grabbed for the rail but it was no longer there. A cry of panic caught in her throat as she felt the darkness envelop her senses.

Then-

" Oof!"

Kairi found her face pressed up against a soft, warm wall and what she knew was a _tail_ wrapped around her leg. There were muffled shouts as something underneath her moved and something sharp poked her side.

" Ow!"

"…geroff! You're squishing me; I can't breathe!"

She toppled to the floor as Zidane shoved her off. She then yanked away from Tetsu and fell on her bottom. She glared at the other man, fire flashing in her blue eyes, but before she could say some choice words to the kneeling man, she felt eyes upon her.

Kairi suddenly realized they were at the top of the clock tower, in the small room where several people could live comfortably. She looked about briefly, at the chairs huddled around a table and the doors that she knew led to the beds, the bathrooms, and the stairs, then looked at the couches in front of her. The other two were staring at the couch as well.

The person who was lounging on the couch when Tetsu so rudely teleported all three of them right next to the coffee table was none other than-

There was a gasp and Kairi turned to its source. She saw a young woman with wavy dark brown hair, shocked green eyes, and an orange tank top with a pale golden-brown shawl around her shoulders. She was wearing long khaki pants that ended at sandals and she was carrying a tray of what looked suspiciously like tea and sandwiches.

She was staring at Tetsu, who returned the gaze with surprise on his face.

" Goofy?" Zidane demanded.

" Der…Kairi?"

" Sunami!" Kairi breathed.

The girl, Sunami, was gaping at Tetsu.

" Lyath?" she whispered.

Tetsu scowled.

" _Excuse_ me!"

**Author's Endnote**: Don't you love Tetsu? Raise your hand if you do! Long reviews and questions are appreciated but give what you can and I'll gladly take it in. All questions and updates concerning all my questions will be posted and the questions answered on my blogger site, the address which you will find in my Bio page . If you are interested in 'Kingdom Hearts: Secrets of Memories',there is a sitefor the epic, which will be posted up on theBio page as soon asI upload this chapter.Not much has been done but over the next few weeks you'll find updates involving the characters and chapter summaries, as well as links and comments by the two people who run the site: me and Lena-Jade. Thank you.


	14. The Last Quest

**Author's Note**: I. Am. So. Sorry. I'm sorry I didn't even put up an Author's Note, because I believed that would clutter the chapter listings and would, well, disappoint everyone. It really wasn't a matter of writer's block, or it could be and I could be just denying it. It was more of a hectic schedule and other stories that I had to work on as well, including the cause of _Rain of Sorrow_, which happens to be _Our Last Memories_. A lot of changes have taken place by the time this chapter was to be writ, therefore you may or may not be confused. Unfortunately some people have taken the liberty of attempting to spoil the story of Kingdom Hearts 2 for me, and I encourage you not to, because the information would spoil my original storylines and that's really not a good thing. I have taken all I knew and know and think I know, and put it together to begin two separate journeys. Once again, I'm sorry for the incredibly long wait of about two months. Apologies.

**Copyrights**: All characters belong to Square-Enix and Disney, with the exceptions of the only characters I can think of now: Lyath, Adrian, Kori, and Sunami. The storyline is mine or the devil take you! (that is a joke)

**Warning**: This is an M-rated fanfiction, so this chapter is somewhat of a warm-up. If you don't know what that means, ignore what I just said and begin reading. Thanks.

**Rain of Sorrow**

**Chapter 13: The Last Quest**

" Paradoxes," Cid growled as he set down his cup of tea. " How I hate them."

" But how terribly useful," Auron countered, shifting slightly on the couch. " Don't 'tell this to Riku, but I did prefer Tetsu to be the one guarding the Seventh Princess, given his lack of doubt in his own power."

" This Tetsu," Cid mused, " he sounds quite familiar."

Auron snorted. " You're not the only one to say that. Last night Tifa said sometimes Tetsu reminds her of Sora, but at other times he seems more like that other damn kid Lyath. Of course I don't know where the hell this kid gets his attitude but I sure am glad as hell I won't be hanging around with him anymore!"

" Heh, pestered the old man?" Cid cackled.

" I'm thirty-seven; I'm not old," the warrior countered.

" I say that same crap every day but do you think those rascals care? I'm just damn glad I didn't have to move back in with them."

" You should be. Death still stalks Hollow Bastion."

Cid stared at him. " What's that?"

Auron nodded silently, was closing his eyes. " The defense system guard Rupert was burnt to crisp. A few days ago a fourth of the passengers on the now non-existent Highwind Express were slaughtered by the Heartless and Nobodies. And, of course, there's Cloud…"

The air turned somber as Cid sighed, looked away. " She was a good girl…never did cry like the other two brats I had to watch over. If only Axel…"

He smacked the palm of his left hand with his right fist. Auron only nodded, then said, " The destruction as returned. The Universe is no longer safe."

Cid whirled on the other man. " What's that now?"

" Wonderland was destroyed. Not a lot of worlds end up demolished like that. And everything that happened, the deaths on the Highwind Express, the traitor who killed Rupert and destroyed the defense system…it's all coming back. What began long ago…has only been stalled, never stopped."

The blond man nodded in acceptance, chewed on his cigarette. " Then the Organization…is going to follow through with the Gathering, isn't it?"

Auron confirmed it with another nod. " Unfortunately. When the Heartless appeared on Destiny Islands, I had an idea as to why. At Hollow Bastion, Axel confirmed it. They want Kairi…and once they do get their hands on her, we're all in trouble-"

" Oh my god, I can't believe you did that!" a voice outside the shop exclaimed.

" We had to," three very familiar voices chimed in unison. " You three were getting your butts kicked-"

Cid stormed to the doors and flung them open. " Louie, Huey, Dewey, what in the name of Jenova did you do!"

The three ducklings looked up at him and laughed nervously. " Nothing, nothing at all-"

" Boys," an authoritarian voice dragged out. " What did you do to him?"

Cid whirled on the speaker. " Donald! How-how'd-why-when-where…where's Goofy?"

All was quiet. Then, " We lost the ship, Cid."

" You lost the ship?" Cid demanded, totally flabbergasted. " H-how-"

" What matters is that he's here," Auron spoke quietly, stepping into view. " Huey, Louie, Dewey, go back to your store. Riku, Naminé, and Donald, inside. We need to discuss our course of action."

He vanished back into Cid's store. Cid followed, making sure someone caught the door before letting it go. Three pairs of feet shuffled in behind him, then they dispersed to the couches.

Riku sprawled over one of the larger couches, while Naminé sat primly on the couch across from him. Donald sat on the other end of the couch, looking rather bruised and burnt. Auron slowly sat down on the only real incliner in the shop, leaving Cid to go behind the counter and begin closing down the store for the night.

" You think Goofy survived that explosion, Donald?" Riku asked aloud when nobody seemed willing to talk.

" If I could make it, he could make it," Donald huffed.

" What happened?" Auron asked slowly, bringing attention to the strange situation.

" Goofy and I, we were headed for Traverse Town just like before," Donald replied, while fiddling with his staff and staring at the coffee table in front of him. " Something must've struck the ship from the outside, because the engines started failing on us. We tried to get the backup engines to work but those were out, too. Our only hope was an emergency landing on an asteroid."

The others nodded, hemmed, and hawed. Then Cid, who was the gummi ship expert, questioned, " How can both the main engines and the backup engines be down? That's impossible."

" Really?" Riku demanded, suddenly interested. " How so?"

" The backup engines are found inside the ship," Auron answered. He looked at Cid through his sunglasses. " Sabotage?"

Naminé gasped. " What? How!"

" And why," Auron finished.

Now it was all quiet, as everyone immersed in their own thoughts and theories. It was apparent, though, that none of them had anything new to say considering that baffling problem, besides Riku.

" Maybe the ship just malfunctioned," he blurted out.

" The readings were all fine, though," Donald protested. " I saw them!"

" Well, maybe the readings seemed fine but the ship wasn't," Riku countered.

" What! Are you suggesting Chip and Dale didn't do their job?" Donald demanded furiously.

' No, I'm suggesting they made a mistake!" Riku snapped.

The two of them were now on their feet, leaning across the table and glaring at each other eye-to-eye.

" Oh knock it off, both of you!" Naminé sighed. " We're getting nowhere. Besides, I'm tired. And I think better with a clearer head. Cid, is the Hotel available?"

" The Blue Room and the Red Room are," he answered. " The Green Room's occupied, though."

" Really?" Auron questioned, interested. " I thought people stayed home nowadays, unless a world went off like Wo-"

" That, too," the blond pilot interjected quickly. " Interesting case, this boarder's got. Talk to him tomorrow; he's all talk but the talk may be useful if you guys are out looking for Sora. See what you can get out of him."

" I'll do that," Auron nodded. He then rose to his feet. "Let's go."

One by one they filed out of the store. Riku purposely lagged behind so he could bring up the rear and deal with his own issues without interference and questions from others.

_So, what's your purpose, besides occupying my mind and wanting your body back?_

_' Revenge. What would you expect from someone who lost her body to two miserable boys who still roam the world out there?'_

_What? You're gonna turn on me!_

_' You? I don't plan on turning on you yet. Without you I would cease to exist. When you unlocked my heart and unleashed my inner darkness, a part of me remained with you, the last vestiges of my soul. As for the other boy, well, I leave it for you to find out. You may know his name, but none of us know of his whereabouts.'_

_Okay, what the fuck are you talking about, Maleficent? That's bullshit you're blabbering there._

_' I beg to defer. Being in this state I can sense forces others cannot. But I won't share that information with you. You don't need to know.'_

_What! Hey-_

" Riku? Are you okay?" Donald called out as Naminé watched from the doors of the Hotel. He looked at her worried face, then at Donald. Since when did Donald care if he was okay or not? " Hurry up or else I get the dibs on the bed!"

Riku scowled, then walked briskly towards them. Auron, he guessed, was already inside.

_Maleficent's so confusing…all of this is confusing. This whole mess…dammit, what's the point of this? What the hell?_

A voice whispered from the darkest depths of his mind.

_Soon, the time will come...and I shall be free._

Riku grit his teeth, then quickly hid the grimace as he followed Naminé and Donald into the Hotel. The duck waddled onward but Naminé stayed behind. She turned to him and smiled.

" Good night."

She entered the Red Room as Riku smiled faintly in return. Then his face returned to its stern visage as he turned to the Blue Room.

_Fuck you, Ansem…_

""

" Lyath," the girl called Sunami began slowly, " was a close friend of mine. He lived here, with my other friends Adrian and Kori, but he wasn't from Twilight Town. He just…came here one day."

Both Zidane and Goofy nodded.

" He always wondered what his purpose in life was," Sunami sighed, her finger picking at the stray fibers on the couch. She then stood up and began pacing around the coffee table. " Adrian said his purpose in life was to win as many Struggle Tournaments as possible, though Lyath was the better player. Kori wanted to win as many friends as possible; he's the nice sort, you know. Me? I wanted world peace, especially when we started hearing whispers of war. And I also wanted life here at Twilight Town to be peaceful and simple. But after what…after what Lyath revealed to us, life changed for all of us. All our…all our dreams just fell by the wayside."

" Why?" Goofy asked curiously while Zidane continued to scarf down as many sandwiches on the platter as possible.

Sunami looked straight at the Knight Captain. " Because of who he was."

Goofy stopped looking so curiously; he instead bowed his head and turned away.

" Who was he?" Tetsu asked quietly. He studied Sunami from under his bangs, watching her flush and look away. He then shifted slightly on his feet and looked elsewhere as well.

" A Keybearer," she murmured. " An anomaly of a Keybearer but one of three. He revealed his power to us the day Seifer led a mysterious man to him. Seifer was in charge of the unofficial street police, and he hated Lyath with a passion. When they first saw each other, they stared arguing over something stupid. Then the mysterious man stepped in…and then Seifer and his friends Rai, Fuu, and Vivi ran away."

" The man had red hair?" Zidane demanded suddenly, looking up and spraying crumbs everywhere. " Axel?"

Sunami shrugged. " Maybe. I don't know much about that, but Lyath and the man started shouting things at each other. Then Lyath pulled out this huge silver key. He pointed it at the man and started yelling. The man pulled out weapons of his own, some weird wheels with spikes all around them. They fought…oh it was such a horrible fight. They kept yelling at each other…and then the man said something that stopped Lyath in his tracks. I-I don't remember what he said exactly but it had something to do…something to do with the fact Lyath never smiled. He knew something…that Lyath never told us before. And then he said that Lyath only existed because somebody needed him in order to acquire something. Lyath grew angry, and then threw the key at the man's feet. He stormed off. We didn't see him for weeks.

" It was around that time we met Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Sora had a key, the same key Lyath used to fight the man. We told him so…but he didn't believe us for a minute. He did tell us his story, though, about his life on a world called Destiny Islands and his search for a friend and a king. Adrian told him that we saw neither of them…but we did suggest them to go to other worlds around Twilight Town and ask around. Not long after they left, Lyath came back. But he wasn't himself anymore. He was so terribly upset about something, but he never told us why. I still don't quite understand why…"

Goofy suddenly cleared his throat. " Der…I never understood either, Sunami. But the only other time I met him, he…he seemed normal…"

" That was in the beginning," Sunami explained. " For a while he acted like nothing happened…then he started to fight with Adrian. We didn't know what his problem was but every little thing seemed to tick him off. And then there were the nightmares…he never told us about them either. But then, a few months later, we got invited to Disney Castle for some meeting. That was two years ago…but it was then that everything changed."

She knelt down on the floor and ran a finger down the grain of the wood flooring.

" What happened?" Zidane asked curiously. " I mean, you keep saying he changed this way and that way and that way and this way, so what happened now to make a difference-"

" Kairi."

Zidane, Goofy, and Sunami all turned to Tetsu, who seemed to be staring off into space.

" What is this, a mating call?" Zidane cracked but Tetsu ignored him completely. He didn't even attempt to strangle the thief. Instead he turned to Sunami, who had gone oddly pale.

" This is about Kairi, isn't it?"

" W-what makes you say that?" she stammered.

" She's not even here, to begin with," Tetsu explained, bringing to everyone's attention her absence. " As soon as you said that…name, she went white and disappeared."

" Good point," Zidane agreed, jumping to his feet. Crumbs fell to the floor. " But she never said anything about Lyath. Why-"

" They met at Disney Castle," Sunami interrupted. She sighed, then looked at each one of them slowly. Goofy was the only one amongst them who seemed to understand what was going on; he nodded slowly and sadly. " They met…and they fell in love."

" Whoa, whoa, whoa, what!" Zidane yelled. " Say that again!"

" They fell in love," Tetsu murmured, repeated for him. Zidane stared at him, then at Sunami, then at a guilty-looking Goofy, then back to Sunami.

" Then what about Sora!"

" There was somebody else," Sunami answered, her voice beginning to waver. " A witch."

" Naminé," Goofy said. " I knew about the relationship between Sora and Naminé, but Lyath and Kairi? Well…I dunno, things are starting to get confusitioning…oh yeah, those two were always with each other. Riku was angry…angry because those two were together, angry because of what Sora had…had done to Kairi. Kairi was angry at them both…because we did things she couldn't do much of and we didn't say…der…things and tried to hide things from her. Sora got real angry, though…when Lyath came."

" Why?" Tetsu asked quietly. " What happened?"

" Chaos," Sunami replied reluctantly. " Some strange stuff got revealed during the first day of the big meeting, including who Lyath was. I guess that really hurt him, because he disappeared right afterwards. He was with Kairi the next day…and they haven't been apart since. I never understood that, you know. What did he see in her that…that he didn't see in me, in Adrian, in Kori, in other people here? Maybe it had something to do with her being a Princess and all, but whatever happened, they were in love. Maybe it was just that they needed each other…like they were made for each other."

" Oh no…not that, anything but that…" Zidane heard Tetsu mutter under his breath. The blond man eyed him strangely but didn't pursue the matter when nobody else seemed to hear him.

" Der…"

" Halfway through the huge meeting, something changed between them," Sunami then sighed. She opened her mouth, took a deep breath, let it out, then closed her mouth. She licked her lips, then seemed to decide to continue. " One night…one night he didn't go back to his room. For three days he never went back to his room…and that was part of what changed everything."

She fell silent, then let out a wistful sigh. Nobody else seemed to want to speak, as they all tried to understand what it was Sunami was trying to tell them. Then Zidane, who was shifting his weight on his feet continuously, decided to break the silence.

" Damn, there goes my changes with her."

Goofy looked dazed. " Der…maybe I shouldn't try and get it anymore…"

Tetsu was frowning. There was a dark, intense look on his face.

Sunami then decided the story must end. " When the meeting ended and we had to go, Lyath took Kairi aside, and started talking to her. He was gone for a while, then came to Adrian, Kori, and me in a hurry. He said we had to go…but he was crying. I never saw him cry before, you know? When he cried...I don't know, it's just so painful. But when we were leaving…I saw her staring out the window of one of the big halls, watching him. She was crying, too. He never told us what happened…but he was so sad. He never talked about Kairi, didn't talk at all, really. This went on for weeks, him brooding and stalking around the tower. Adrian was mad when he quit going to the Struggle Tournaments. The prizes we get from the tournaments help pay for everything we need but Lyath was the only one who could really compete. Even Adrian knew that…which was big of him, since he always thought he was the best. But Lyath wouldn't do anything at all. It was like he didn't want to exist anymore.

" Lyath then disappeared. One day he was sitting on his chair, staring at his hands, and the next day he was gone. It's been like this for two years. But you know, it was the strangest two years; everything was a blur…and it was only when you three came here that I started remembering everything again. Now I really know why I was waiting, always waiting. I was waiting for him and until he comes back, I always will."

Her story was over. Then…

" Did he look anything like Sora?" Tetsu abruptly demanded, fearing the answer.

Sunami smiled. " A bit…come to think of it, they did look alike…but he never smiled, just like you. He's really pale, too, with blond hair and all. But his eyes…"

Tetsu immediately turned away and she dropped the subject. Zidane rocked back and forth on the heels of his boots, while Goofy's eyelids drooped and he threatened to snore. Tetsu then sighed, chewed on his tongue for a bit, then walked away. Sunami watched him walk to the door that led outside, then turned to Zidane and a dozing Goofy,

" But how'd you guys get here?"

''

He found her sitting on the edge, watching the twilit skies of Twilight Town. He leaned against the wall of the Bell Tower, studied her silently. Her long red hair seemed to glow under the sky as well as her white shirt; a slow breeze tossed her hair about in a vibrant red curtain dyed in the hues of the setting sun. His eyes never left the colors, as a strange feeling went rocketing through his body. Tetsu felt his throat go dry and swallowed to try and rid himself of the feeling.

Then suddenly, for a moment, he imagined – or was it imagination? – himself sitting on that edge, talking to other people. He was holding something, was picking things off of it and passing them around. Then the illusion was gone and he found himself still staring at Kairi. To his disgust he found his body reacting to her in a way he'd rather not even attempt to describe.

_Damn it!_

He shifted on his feet again, then softly said, " How close were you two?"

Kairi didn't move, continued to watch Twilight Town's skyline. He heard her whisper, though. " Very close…even closer…than…"

She didn't finish. He heard a slight noise emit from her, then realized she was trying to hold back her tears, was trying not to cry.

_Not again!_

" Why didn't you tell us about him? Were you trying to hide him from us? Or was it something else-"

" I forgot him"

" _Excuse_ me?"

" I said I forgot him."

He fell silent. _Forgot him? I'm pretty sure you slept with him so how the hell can you forget him? That's just wrong._

" After he…after…Lyath left, I thought the world was going to end. I never…I never felt despair like that time. Then one day I woke up…and just started living as though he never existed. I couldn't tell the difference and nobody ever mentioned him, never called him by name. He was a nameless entity referred to only as 'the other one', and I thought none of it. It was like he was never there. Never."

" So you forgot him for like two years and ended up falling in love with Sora again?"

" I guess…but when Sunami said his name…it all just started…started to come b-back." Now her voice was filled with tears as she shifted in her seat, pulled up her knees, and hugged them tightly. She sighed, tried to regain her composure. " Until she spoke his name, I couldn't remember him at all. When I look at you…sometimes…sometimes I'd see him, but for the most part…I couldn't even recall his voice. Like Sora, I lost him. But this time, it was like an empty hole...a gap in my heart…that I couldn't fix, because I didn't know why it was there."

Her voice dropped to a whisper and whatever else she seemed to be murmuring was lost in the wind that blew almost constantly high above the city.

There was something nagging him, though, something Sunami had said with incredible ambiguity and clarity. Half-hoping and half-fearing the answer, he asked, " So…, assuming I heard rightly, you forgot having sex when you were fifteen? Hardly becoming of a Princess of Heart, I'm sure."

Tetsu didn't really think he was a blockhead; he had preferred to think of himself as somewhat too stubborn to comprehend or understand most things. But something within him broke open and he began to realize how coldhearted he was when Kairi turned around and glared at him.

Her blue eyes were shimmering with hot tears that streamed down her face. Her bottom lip was trembling; she shook as she choked back her tears. Then she was crying.

A cold steel sword rammed through him, left Tetsu shaking, too, as he quailed under her sorrowful gaze. Suddenly he felt shame, guilt at causing her more pain than he could even begin to imagine. Starting from the moment he woke up in her house on that bed, he had been told of his resemblance to the boy she loved so much. Throughout their journey she had cried to him about how much she loved him, how much she wanted him to come home. But…after what Sunami called him, he finally began to comprehend the kind of emotional power he held over her. He was the source of her hope…and her despair.

Then an even stranger emotion swept through Tetsu as he remained frozen, watching her as she watched him. There was something in her face, something that was practically screaming at him, telling him it was all there, all out in the open. He couldn't understand it, understand it at all but he found his eyes slowly shifting from her eyes to her lips. And then a slight breeze picked up again, tossing her hair. She was haunting, an angel of misery and sorrow. She was…beautiful.

_But these…these feelings…they're so…foreign…where are they coming from?_

" I…I can't _believe you_…" she whispered. Ice laced her words. " How…how could you say something like that?"

" I'd rather not travel in the dark, _Princess_," he found himself saying and winced. " Secrets are no friend of mine. You're not at all who I thought you'd to be."

" What do you know?" she retorted, her voice stronger and with anger. " Leave me alone."

She then took a deep breath and he watched her blue eyes go icy and frozen.

" I _hate_ you."

That was it. Tetsu's face went slack with shock, then hardened as the three words echoed continuously around them. He stood up straight and glared at her, as every last bit of tolerance he had for her shattered and blew away in the night wind.

" I hate you, too."

He turned around sharply and strode to the door. As he disappeared, he heard Kairi crying. A part of his soul reached out to her but his heart lost all its humanity and he left her there. He didn't look back.

_It's over._

""

" I don't see him…" Riku muttered as he sat fidgeting in his seat. He busily watched Donald as the wizard tried to douse the candle on the café table; it didn't need to be lit but not even a simple Water spell would turn it off. Riku suggested a full-blown Waterga but those sitting at the table immediately decided it wasn't the best method. No need to get on Cid's – or Auron's, whichever was worse – nerves this early in the day.

" Maybe he's not human, " Naminé suggested quietly as she sketched into her drawing pd. " I mean, if Donald could be a duck, who knows what the boarder would look like."

" That's very reassuring, thanks," Riku replied darkly.

Naminé shrugged, swirled around the contents in the half-empty mug with a small coffee spoon. She was bothered, extremely bothered.

" Riku…?" she whispered, could barely be heard.

" What?" he asked as he tapped a finger on the café table. When she didn't continue, he tilted his head in her direction. " Naminé?"

She blinked, then quickly averted her eyes. " Remember…way back…you know, at Disney Castle?"

He frowned slightly. Donald stopped fiddling with the candle immediately and looked at the witch. " Why?"

" Um…I…uh…I don't know how to say this, but…" She fell silent and looked elsewhere again.

" Naminé, what's wrong?" Riku asked, thoroughly troubled. _Why is she bringing this up?_

" Um…" she emitted as she picked at the ends of the very pale blue dress she was wearing. " You know how…how there was that 'council', that meeting? That meeting King Mickey called?"

" Yeah, what about it?" Donald asked crossly. His memories of them obviously weren't fond. Neither were Riku's.

" I can't exactly forget the Council," Riku stated rather harshly. " Especially with all the infighting…and the crisis."

" What crisis, Riku? What was the problem?"

Riku froze, stared at her. Why was she questioning this? She was there, wasn't she? Wasn't she the one who triggered the crisis? Or was there something she didn't know? Or was it he who was left in the dark?

" The one involving Sora-" her eyes flashed as he spoke "-because he can't control the Keyblade. He lost control. Why do you ask? Naminé?"

Her face was deeply troubled as she averted her eyes to the candle on the café table. Donald looked between the two, unsure of what to do.

" Do you remember…anything else?" she whispered.

The young man and the duck stared at her. Then they looked at each other and exchanged baffled glances. What was there to remember? The Council was so full of fighting over the next best course of action, and those strange magical portraits in the room around them weren't helping, either, especially that one mouse with a kilt. He was always blithering nonsense, inciting the anger and fury of the mouse in the gown and with a laced handkerchief. And then there was the world of Tron, gone forever.

_Forever…_

" No, I don't," Riku admitted. Donald nodded, then posed the question. " Naminé, what are you getting at?"

She took a deep breath. " Perhaps I should bring something up. There's so much I found out…so much I wish I didn't know. The Organization is full of deceit. What we discussed back at the castle weeks ago may not be true at all. And Ansem…well, I don't know much about him at all given that he's not exactly alive right now, but if I know anything about the man, it is that he will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. I don't know what Vincent Valentine is up to given what was told to us about him by Cloud and Leon but he's definitely up to something. You never know what's on the man's mind but he does things his own way and you can't question that.

" If you remember clearly we were talking about the heart and the soul. For so long we always thought the heart was the most important part of a person. But ever since the Organization and the Nobodies made themselves fully known, it became apparent that the soul was important as well. One cannot exist without the other…except in special cases. That would include me. Don't you remember? The reason why I was able to manipulate people through memory as told before I was ordered to do the same to Sora was because I was missing a heart. But once my magic came into contact with Sora, everything changed…because I found one of the most powerful hearts in existence.

" But during his yearlong sleep, I found out something about him. He may be all heart but his soul was gone. Well, not all of it or else he would have been destroyed long ago, but only a small piece of it remained within him. As he grew older that began to affect him. Don't you remember, Donald, when Sora began to complain about how his emotions seemed unable to show or he couldn't express them as well as he could? His soul was missing and it was beginning to screw up his mentality and his ability to wield the Keyblade.

" But why was he missing most of his soul? While you three were gone stopping both Heartless and Nobodies in their tracks, I looked deep into the mysteries I grew up around. A part of Sora's heart was missing. It was a strange, precarious imbalance; he was missing most of his soul and part of his heart. I came to the conclusion that maybe there was someone out there who was missing most of his or her heart and a piece of his or her soul. So…I began my own searching."

" And why didn't you mention this earlier?" Riku demanded. " Why didn't you mention this AT ALL two years ago! Naminé, what's gotten into you?"

Donald's jaw dropped. " You're joking, right? _That_ could explain a lot but if you mentioned it way back when, it would've made sense with all the other stuff thrown around the room! Naminé, why did you hide that from us?"

Naminé shook her head furiously. " That's the point! I didn't hide it from you! I-"

" You…you did not!" It dawned on Riku what Naminé might have done. " You hid this from us by erasing all trace of it from our memories?"

" WHAT!" Donald squalled.

" NO! I didn't!" she cried out, on the verge of tears. " Why do you accuse me of _that_? Riku, you know I forswore doing something like that long ago-"

" THEN WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, WOMAN!" Riku roared. The few townspeople sitting at the café tables or walking nearby froze and one woman dropped her bag of groceries. A cigar fell from a man's mouth.

" I-I-I-I," Naminé stuttered. " I…d-do you remember someone…someone else at the meeting?"

Riku and Donald stared at her. " What!"

She repeated the question.

" No, except _Tron_ wasn't there because his world got _obliterated_," Riku snapped scathingly. " Why? Who else was there?"

The witch wiped her eyes quickly with a napkin at the café table before continuing. " There was someone else. Donald should know, because King Mickey has started to talk about it. Do you have any idea what I'm talking about, Donald?"

" Maybe. I remember overhearing a conversation His Majesty had with Auron about where his Keyblade had gone. I didn't get it, though. Why?"

" Because-"

" The last quest is to figure out the rest, of this silly mystery. Before you go, just let me know, if I can come along!"

The three people at the table froze. Then Naminé became very aware of a huge grin sitting on Riku's head. A gleaming full set of teeth shone in the night of Traverse Town.

" Riku, there's a smile on top of your head."

Riku stared at her. " What are you talking about?"

" There is a _smile_ on top of your head. I'm pretty serious it was the one talking-"

The smile moved. Now it was a mouth.

" A duo becomes a trio because a circle of four returns to a trio becomes a duo and is surging towards a trio. But never, oh never, will it return to four because the fourth shall never walk the earth again! She knows, he knows, they know, all know, yet the chain remains snapped. I wonder, I wonder, at this horrid sin. So onward, heroes and heroines, to the last quest, and open the door!"

Riku went white. " Why is it talking on top of my _head_?"

Donald was the first to recognize the mouth. " Cheshire Cat, what are you doing here?"

Purple stripes and links materialized around the grin and then the cat was there before their very eyes, sitting on Riku's head, It looked around, smiling all the while. Its long tail whipped about restlessly, slapping against Riku's face.

" Ho-hum, this town's life is more glum than fun. So I want to come and help you if I may. After all, Wonderland and Tron are destroyed, and Beast's Castle and the surrounding Fabled Countryside are cut off from all access, leaving far fewer worlds in which to search for Sora. And a secret I shall reveal if you will let me come. Jumbles may pour from my mouth but with my mind much will be undone. As it should. Too much has been said and done so now it is time to unravel the lies from the truths and set all to tale."

" And _why_ are you on my head?"

" I like your hair. It's very soft. And silver is a very nice color, you know."

" And what do you mean by lies and truths and stuff being done and undone?" Donald demanded. " Cheshire Cat, what does that mean?"

The cat grinned, though his eyes never left Naminé, who was looking like a ghost now.

" Let me come and I will help. The Organization seeks to be reborn, because they believe Kingdom Hearts will restore their hearts and they will become all-powerful. Axel had tried to unleash the pure power of the heart that was hidden under the castle but if he had succeeded, all would have been lost. The heart and the soul in their respective pure forms are much too powerful to exist in their state in this world."

" And your point is?"

" With all hearts of the Princesses, they will find a way to remake themselves. There is more than one way to do that, so if they cannot reach Kingdom Hearts, they will simply go about it another way. She knows, for there were more spells than one."

Riku and Donald turned to Naminé, who was staring at the Cheshire Cat – no, glaring at him, her pale eyes flashing. She looked very angry. And very un-Naminé-like.

" Either way it would destroy him. You know this as well as I. The Non-Existent shall remain non-existent; their accidental existence will eventually be erased. Including mine. But I had no choice. You know it."

" Yes, Naminé dear, but that's not why I'm wheedling you," Cheshire Cat smiled, now doing a handstand on Riku's head. He didn't like it but the young man really had no choice. Given the way the Cheshire Cat talked, he could have a lot of power. Or he could be all talk and Riku would simply be humiliating himself. " _You_ know this as well as I. You know about the existence of religions here in this Universe, do you not?"

Donald stared at the exchange oddly. " Religion? What about it?"

" Of course, Cheshire Cat."

" Good! Because it goes like this: forgiveness is glory, sure, as it is the surest way of redemption. But you have gone too far to ever ask for forgiveness. One would never forgive you. You know it. As for the other two…well…they'll never talk again, you know this. But…I could help you find…a way….to end the suffering, and the sin."

" Sin?" Riku looked at Naminé, who suddenly looked shameful.

" Yes. Sin. I have committed such sin that I will never wash it away from me. I'm sorry."

Riku stared at her, suddenly felt the need to help her. He understood her perfectly; after all, wasn't he in her position before? He had done such unspeakable things, too, but Sora helped him out of the Darkness, and back into the Light. What was holding her back? What was she _hiding_?"

" But I will say this," the Cheshire Cat said solemnly. " If I come, I will help you find Sora and help him open the Door of Light. But beware: it has been two years now and if we do find Sora, he will not be himself. You all _must_ understand that. So much has happened since then, including the faux alliance between the two warring factions of this costly war. For many of our allies, these past two years have been a strange and unusual blur, and I will myself get down to the bottom of this. And you, Naminé, hear me on this: I will help you wash yourself of your sins. But either you will become clean…or you yourself will be destroyed. You said you were Non-Existent, and that those few people who are like that in this world would eventually fade away. If you don't find a heart or if you lose the soul in you, you will never walk in this lifetime again. Oh, hello, Auron! Love to see me?"

Everybody whirled around to see Auron. Cid Highwind, and the triplets Louie, Huey, and Dewey were standing near the center of the town square, staring at them. Cheshire Cat balanced on his left front paw and waved with his right. Naminé was completely porcelain, so pale it was shocking. Both Riku and Donald looked completely drained.

" We're not traveling with that _thing_, are we?" Auron demanded.

" Unfortunately, we are," Naminé said hurriedly before Riku could agree with Auron about the cat.

The man glared at the cat for a long time. " Hmmmf! C'mon, we're leaving. Need to pay Hades a time-honored visit and start on this damn journey."

He whirled around, and with Cid and the triplets, headed for the main doors. The others slowly rose to their feet and quietly followed them, Donald continuously slapping his hand with his staff and watching the others nervously. Naminé was busy twirling her pencil in her hand, looking quite lost in thought. The Cheshire Cat kept humming as it sat on Riku's head. Riku, though, kept staring at Naminé, wondering if he really did hear those things that were just mentioned seconds ago.

_Naminé's Non-Existent? Then how did she exist like this for so long? I don't understand. None of this makes sense, including the so-called 'sins' of hers. What is she hiding from us? What's she hiding from me? But if the Cheshire Cat was right, we might lose her forever. That can't happen! I won't let that happen!_

He kept staring at her as they headed out to one of the gummi ships Cid had built at his gummi garage. She noticed his gaze and tilted her head slightly to smile at him.

" I'm alright, Riku. I really am."

He sighed, then nodded.

_I didn't ask for this last journey. Too late now. I only hope this really is the last one…please let it be the very last journey we will all take. Please…_

""

"…der…why are you coming with us, Sunami?" Goofy asked curiously as the young woman followed him, Zidane, and Kairi down the stairs.

" I have nothing more to do," Sunami replied. " Being around those boys for most of your life gets to you once in a while. Once I came to Disney Castle, nothing really was the same again. And besides, I can fight now. The past two years Kori and I have been going over books of magic. Both of us can do some magic now. Adrian prefers street fighting though; he thinks magic is for sissies."

She made a face and Zidane, who happened to see it, laughed. Kairi remained silent and intent on walking down the stairs at a brisk pace.

Sunami had found some clothes for her, finally, but they weren't much help. In exchange for her school uniform she donned an orange-pink dress with white bordering and black straps. Zippers ran down the middle of the skirt to the very bottom; underneath she was wearing a thin short white dress with spaghetti straps so the zipper was pulled down halfway to her waist. Sunami had a rather stylish red belt, too, so she cinched that around her waist. She was still wearing her black shoes, though, and they made some very loud and rude sounds as she walked down the stairs.

Kairi knew Zidane had some strange attraction to her but she had gotten so used to his stares by now that she ignored him completely. She was doing that just now; after all, she was the one in front.

What she didn't know was the history behind her clothes. Sunami had found them in one of the dressers in the boys' room two years ago. One would have to be puzzled at the clothes and for a moment she wondered if one of the three boys was a cross-dresser. It took her a good half-hour to finish laughing off the idea of Adrian wearing the pink dress, then she found the price tag and the receipt buried underneath it. The whole set was of a decent price, since the quad never had _that_ much money in the first place – Sunami had always wished for a set of pearls but it was Kori who finally managed to knock some financial and common sense into her – but she found a second receipt that tied it to the first. This was while she was pulling out other clothes to do the laundry; a thin piece of paper fell out of Lyath's pants and she studied it. It was made out on the same day the clothes were bought, a delivery charge to the tower. She had studied the date for a moment, before it dawned on her. That day Lyath had stayed behind while the other three went off to a Struggle Tournament Adrian had entered.

And these clothes were for Kairi.

But why did he never give them to her?

_That night Adrian was ecstatic. He had won the Struggle Competition against Rai, who had entered at the insistence of Seifer and his other two friends. He had been chanting that this was payback for all the things Seifer's gang had done to them, especially Lyath. Kori was saying repeatedly that it was just a tournament and it wasn't a life-or-death struggle while trying to finishing his popsicle as it melted and ran down his fingers. Sunami was giggling at the antics of the two while biting into her own popsicle. That was when she became aware of the stony silence radiating from Lyath; the blond teenager had been unusually silent and moody for some time now but now there was something else hanging over him, some tragic air. He was staring at his hands, the popsicle tilted out of the way so that it didn't touch him as it melted. He hadn't even touched it._

" _Lyath?" she asked worriedly. " Why aren't you eating the popsicle? What's wrong?"_

_He kept staring at his hands, then shook his head and rose to his feet._

" _Nothing."_

_He walked away to the room he shared with Adrian and Kori, leaving her rather hurt because he was still refusing to open up to her. _

_That was the last time she would ever see him. The next morning, the boys found he had gone. His bed had been made and he had taken nothing with him. They thought he had simply gone out for a walk but as the day dragged on, they began to worry. A whole week passed before Sunami found the clothes and he had not returned. But a week later, his name vanished from her mind with a hot unnatural wind that blew through the whole city. And for the next two years, as the days went by in a strange blur, they found themselves talking about 'that boy' less and less often, until he was nearly non-existent._

Until Tetsu, that is.

And Sunami believed, deep within her heart, that Lyath would have wanted Kairi to wear the clothes he bought all those years ago. She had kept the clothes hidden from Adrian and Kori, laundering them occasionally to keep them clean and never daring to even try them on. She really couldn't believe it when Kairi had come to her early in the morning, asking if she had anything to wear, and she found herself reaching, automatically, for the neatly-folded clothes in her own dresser. And as she handed them to the grateful red-haired girl, Sunami felt something slide off her shoulders. She had never noticed it before but all of a sudden she found herself breathing easier, able to stand even straighter than she was aware of. A great weight had slid away.

And that was the only time Sunami ever believed in ghosts. For just one minute.

''

Tetsu was pacing around the front of the clock tower, hearing but not paying much attention to Adrian and Kori as they bickered over what Sunami was trying to do – find Lyath as the others searched for Sora. His mind was far, far away from Twilight Town, even. He was thinking about that secret cave on Destiny Islands, and the message Sora had left behind for Kairi.

_I love you, too. Remember me._

What could Sora mean? If there was one thing Tetsu knew, it was that Kairi would never forget Sora. But then again, she had forgotten Lyath…and if what she said really was true, they were even closer than she was to Sora. Was she playing mind games…or had something happened to her memories?

_Memories…_

" _I _hate_ you."_

" _I hate you, too."_

_It's over._

" Bug off, why don't ya? I've had it with you!"

" Well, I haven't! I just broke my latest punching bag, and I think you'll do for the time being."

" Come off it, Seifer! So we beat Rai at the Struggle Tournament; it's not the end of the world!"

" No, but it doesn't do any good for our image, does it Kori? I thought so. So c'mon, Adrian, come and get it!"

Tetsu whirled around, lowering himself instinctively as he focused on the two young men and the people they were arguing with.

One of them had a suave nature, wearing some really weird, flowing clothes. If he was trying to come off as a warlord, it was a poor attempt. He had a pretty serious, arrogant face, with a long diagonal scar across his face and over his nose. It kind of reminded him of Leon.

_Leon as the same scar…except it's going in the opposite direction…_

There was a slim young woman with bluish silver hair and brown eyes tinted deeply red. Her clothes were simple and practical, and in muted blues and browns. She was standing with a tall, very muscular man with dark hair, slight sideburns, and red and black clothes. Tetsu immediately guessed that this guy loved to show off his body; he was wearing a muscle shirt with no sleeves and black sweats.

Then there was that odd little thing, with a pointy hat, a heavy coat, and pants. For a moment, Tetsu imagined it as human-sized, then his hand coming in over its head and scrunching it into the ground, leaving it look like a runt. Then he froze as it turned its head his way and he found himself watched by glowing yellow eyes.

The scar-faced man was yelling at Adrian. Both had their fists up and just seconds from blows. Kori was panicking and incredibly helpless in the face of the impending fight. Tetsu scowled at his ineptness; if he had heard rightly from him late last night, the guy could cast magic. Obviously he had forgotten that.

Then the little thing with glowing yellow eyes spoke quietly.

" Fight."

He didn't even flinch as Adrian and the one he guessed to be Seifer started scuffling. Instead Tetsu found himself sighing; he had also heard enough of the hatred between the two young men to not expect this. But of course, if things did get serious, then he would step in.

Unfortunately, they did.

The thing raised a hand and a fireball formed. Adrian saw this but that distracted him; Seifer socked him in the face, which threw him off his feet, then the fireball went sailing.

Kori yelped. " Wind!"

The Aero spell did little to stop the apparent Fira as it exploded through the mild wind shield and impacted with Adrian. He was thrown several feet and lay still face-down. Then his arms moved and he pushed himself up off the ground, his nose and mouth bloody. He held his fists up again and ran at Seifer. The other two people still did nothing, content to let Seifer and that thing fight Adrian and Kori.

Then he heard Sunami scream. He turned his head, as did the two other people, Kori, and the thing, to the doors at the bottom of the tower. The others had finally emerged after what seemed like hours of preparation; Tetsu had gone downstairs early with Adrian and Kori to buy train tickets and had tried to avoid as much of the preparations as possible. With two women traveling, such things could take years.

Goofy had his shield up immediately, while Zidane had bounded forward like a cat, dagger in hand. Tetsu then noticed the blond man reach into a pouch on his belt that he had not noticed before; apprehension rushed through him as Zidane flipped back the flap on the pouch and carefully fingered the handle of what could only be a pistol. Where did Zidane get his hands on such a weapon?

And then he felt his heart race as he saw Kairi standing there with Sunami, her left hand on Sunami's forearm and her right hand held out, obviously ready to summon her staff, wherever in hell that was. She was finally wearing something different, but there was something vaguely strange in what she was wearing, an orange-pink pick knocking at the heavy black wall that he knew hid away whatever memories he had of his far past. All it did was knock off a tiny chip but he was left with a flash, a blur of a human body falling headfirst into darkness.

Seifer had frozen with the scream and was busy staring at the intruders. Then his jaws went slack. The other two people were eying Seifer strangely while Adrian hovered between gaining the advantage and losing his focus if he turned around to see who had appeared. Then Seifer snapped his jaws shut and something dark, menacing, and possessive flashed in his gaze. Tetsu was sure he had seen that look before.

On Axel.

Instantly something roared within him, a fiery beast waking from its slumber to shout in fury. A dragon uncurled itself deep within him, its head arched back in a position of power and authority as it glared at the man with the scar. The man had eyed its possession, its treasure, and that offender won't get away with it.

_Wait – what!_

Trying to suppress this uncoiling creature inside him, Tetsu looked up only to see Seifer sock Adrian full in the face. The blond man fell backwards, while Kori and Sunami shouted and ran towards him. Then the thing started sending off fireballs from its finger, preventing them from helping Adrian, who was still somewhat conscious and climbing back to his feet. Then he saw Kairi break through and run to help the bloodied man, her staff materializing in her hand.

Tetsu needed to step in. Now.

He bolted, running straight for Seifer, who held out his right hand. His eyes widened considerably as a weapon flashed into the scar-faced man's hand, a great sword with a handle like an overgrown gun. Adrian and Kairi, who was holding onto his forearm and helping him stand, stared at the gleaming silver sword with horror.

" Check me out!" he grinned darkly. Then the silver-haired girl shouted.

" Seifer, your left!"

" What-"

The bulky man with the red shirt suddenly threw himself to the left with a shout, fists up in the air, Seifer jumped to the side, then came at Adrian and Kairi, sword swinging, while the thing officially engaged with Zidane and Goofy. Sunami was screaming and Kori was scrambling over himself trying to help somebody, anybody, and not piss in his pants in the process.

The random people who had hurried to safe corners and into shops to hide and watch the fight with fascination winced as a roar rocked through the streets. There were two flashes – white and black – as a man in the black coat jumped at the muscular dark-haired man, two fascinating and coldly beautiful swords swinging in his hands. The dark-haired man brought out a weapon of his own, a staff. There was a violent clash, and then the silver-haired woman leaped in, strapping something onto her hand. Projectile weapons.

Street-side rivalry had turned into an all-out territorial war.

""

Paine raised an eyebrow with mild interest as she watched people run past the doors and windows in one general direction, shouting and shoving. Rikku was dozing over a game of solitaire at the table in the lobby, drool pooling on the cards, while Barret had gone to the back to supervise Brother and Buddy with their latest order. Shinra was reading a 'Famitsu' magazine that came to the motel every month but now he was staring at the crowd as well.

" Something's up," he said calmly.

" You think?" Paine snorted. " I wonder what's going on…"

" I don't like it," Shinra said decisively. " We should go check it out."

" Hubba…bubba…" Rikku muttered, her jaw moving up and down ungracefully.

" Oh my," both Paine and Shinra remarked.

""

Kairi barely breathed. Her lungs were on fire and yet she was forced to keep moving, keep dodging, as she and Adrian tried to bring down the sword-swinging blond gangster. He had his fists; she had her staff. He was already beaten badly and scorched besides, and she was, in other words, a woman. She had trained for so long and had believed she could do this but this was her first real test now. There was nobody at her back but an injured ally; she was the one who must decide the direction of the fight.

_The train would be leaving in less than an hour! How can we end this AND get to the train in time?_

She pushed her screaming limbs to the left, feeling the sword breeze past her shoulder by mere inches. Kairi stumbled but she quickly regained her step; signs of weakness would lead to defeat and that was not an option.

Auron was a tough taskmaster and she thanked him for it.

Quickly she brought up the staff with both hands and blocked a blow that would have made a wonderfully precise vertical cut right down the center of her. She stared at the owner of the heavy sword, straining to push off the weight and retaliate.

Things didn't look well when he applied more pressure and her arms began to bend, bringing the sharp, silver edge closer to her face. He leaned in, smiling with victory as she grit her teeth and tried to will herself to force him away.

" You know…it doesn't have to be this way."

She flushed angrily. " Don't even think about it!"

_Stupid git…they're all idiots, saying the same line over and over again…like that guy back at school. Too bad Riku saw him._

" Who's going to stop me?" Seifer grinned as he leaned in even closer. " Give in now and I won't hurt you. But if you resist, I will take you by force."

Kairi cocked an eyebrow at him.

" You men are all so stupid."

Then Adrian's fist connected with the side of the man's head and he jerked back, off-balance by the blow. Kairi jumped back to her feet, winced as her legs began to cramp up, but swiftly brought her staff down on his head. Then she twisted to the side and jabbed at his side. Then Adrian input a high kick that left Seifer staggering. Adrian, dripping with blood and sweat, grinned, gave her a thumbs up, then fell over.

" Adrian!" Kairi yelled, rushing forward. She ducked under a Blizzaga and turned to watch it bounce off Goofy's shield. He and Zidane, who was hiding under the shield, had barely moved from their position; a Firaga roared over her head and exploded against the shield seconds later, providing her with the answer why. She ran to the prostrate body and tried to revive him.

" Adrian, c'mon Adrian, wake up now! Adrian, this is a bad time to faint; I haven't even a Potion on me and I don't have the energy to Cure you so wake up dammit, so I can move you elsewhere-"

A force tackled her and threw her to the ground. She gasped at the impact and for a moment she couldn't move. Her whole body was stunned, sure, but her mind was suddenly thrown into a hazy setting that she could barely remember.

_She was breathing heavily, trying to make a sound but failing. Her whole body ached with the impact but she was breathing, she was feeling, she was seeing. For a moment she was hanging from the balcony, then she was falling. Her death had come, she thought, and it came at a time she thought she was going to die, with her love and her friendship falling apart all around her. Then the strange boy with the strangely familiar face had appeared and tackled her to the ground, changing her course and giving her another chance at life._

_She could feel him resting on top of her, trying to catch his own breath as the world kept shifting in and out of focus. Then she felt him raise his body up but only as far as his arms would let him. Kairi looked up, into the blue eyes of the blond teenager who had suddenly become her savior. The eyes were entrancing, as beautiful as the sky on a clear, sunny day. There was something about his face that touched upon her deep inside; she knew she had seen this face before. But his blond hair…and the sadness locked deep in his features…_

_She raised a hand tentatively to his face, wondering if he was real._

" _Who…who are you?"_

Kairi gasped at the weight crushing her. She stared at the cold, cruel face and the black fire behind them.

_That look…no, not again, not again!_

She whimpered, tried to push him off, tried to twist away but he put his hand on her chin and forced her to face him. He studied her face for a few minutes, then smiled. She couldn't help but watch his long scar distort as he brought his face close to hers. Inwardly she cringed as she felt his hot breath smother her.

" War's upon us all, so we're in short supply of everything. We can only take what we can get when its there for us. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, don't you? I've seen you before; you're one of the people with the damn Key people. Bastards to me, the whole lot of them, but you're something else. Definitely worth something in this shitty life."

For one horrible second Kairi cursed her looks. _Why was I born looking like this? I didn't ask for much but I didn't ask for this!_

Then she froze, feeling his hands skim over her. He fondled her breasts, grasping them to the point she couldn't breathe from the pain. She grimaced, tried to fight back tears of humiliation as he slid his hands down her hips. Fear rocketed through her body wherever he left traces of his touch and she squirmed away. He grabbed her hips tightly, to the point he was bruising her, and Kairi whimpered with pain. Angry tears began to slide down her face as he slowly let go but continued down to her thighs. But as he slid his hands inward and up, something within Kairi snapped.

" DON'T TOUCH ME!"

''

Tetsu slammed the projectile back in the silver-haired girl's face as he finished the somersault over the muscular man's head. As he landed on his feet, a scream exploded.

" DON'T TOUCH ME!"

Tetsu staggered back, shocked by both the words and the source of the voice. The cry ripped through him, leaving him vulnerable and cold. He had heard that saying before, he was sure of it.

_DON'T TOUCH ME!_

That left time for the man and the woman to strike, and they rushed at him. That also allowed for the strange, curling dragon within him to reach out and seize control.

Oathkeeper and Oblivion flashing, Tetsu turned on the woman with impossible speed and tossed her to the side with a flick of his left wrist. His other hand quickly caught hold of the man's staff and wrenched it out of his grasp.

" Why you little-"

The staff dropped to the floor as the Oathkeeper and Oblivion made short work of his consciousness, leaving him to fall to the floor, bloodied but still breathing. Tetsu then searched for Kairi and the beast within him snarled with harsh fury.

Tetsu had gradually become aware of the attraction men felt towards Kairi – he preferred to remain mum concerning himself – but he didn't think it was possible for anyone to try and rape her in the middle of a fight.

This Seifer was just plain weird. And he was pissing Tetsu off, big time.

Following the desire of the beast within him, Tetsu ran at Seifer, who had a hand between her legs and the other over her mouth. She was shouting _something_ but was muffled. Tetsu could see with shocking clarity the glistening tears on her face as he leaned over and began to whisper into her ear. The moment her eyes widened in terror, he let loose the Oathkeeper in a wildly-aimed Strike Raid. But somehow, he knew the raging beast within him was dead accurate and dead set on vengeance. A second after the sickening impact, Tetsu hoped he wasn't dead. But really, it didn't matter. He couldn't forgive Kairi for the harsh exchange the other day but it was the monster within him dictating his movements, not his own mind.

Kori finally found his voice and shouted, " Stop!" at the weird thing with the glowing eyes. Those eyes enlarged in shock but it was too late for this sad, little squashed fellow; it froze in that stance, finger pointing at Goofy's shield, its eyes huge with astonishment.

Tetsu ran to the body sprawled next to Kairi; she sat up and pulled herself away in horror as blood began to seep onto the sidewalk from Seifer's side. In one motion he yanked the Oathkeeper out of his body and pulled Kairi to her feet. She immediately dug her heels into the sidewalk and snapped, " Let me go! I'm fine!"

He didn't think so and he kept dragging her down the sidewalk, away from the grisly battle scene and the clock tower.

" I said let me go!"

" Shut up! Don't be such a bitch right now! We're outta here!"

" I can see that! Let me go!"

" Hey, wait up!" he heard Zidane shout and presently he could tell three pairs of feet were following them. This was time to speed up and he started running, pulling Kairi after him, even as she screamed at him and dug her heels into the ground. People on the street jumped out of the way as he headed for the train station, hoping nobody would stop them. He really wanted for them to get off Twilight Town like _now_.

And if anybody did try to stop them, Tetsu didn't think he'd hold back. Neither did the dragon.

""

King Mickey was incredibly bothered. Again.

He drank from his glass of cognac as he stared out the window of his study. The skies were streaked with twilight hues, bringing to his heart a painful, wistful tugging. In his mind he remembered an earlier time, when he stared out the very same window of the very same room, drinking from the same glass the same liquor, wondering what the future was going to be.

Back then, everything was out in the open, until it all narrowed down to a simple choice and test of will.

Now everything was beyond his control. King Mickey was weaponless, for one; all he had at his disposal was the Sword of Disney. The Golden Keyblade had long since gone –

" _I know. And besides, I don't exactly have the Keyblade with me-"_

" _What do you mean, you don't have it with you?" Auron demanded._

" _Ah, well, I let _him_ borrow it…"_

His hand tightened around the glass and the amber liquid trembled. King Mickey let loose a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

_Ah, well, I let _him_ borrow it…_

Almost instantly, a stern, sorrowful face came to mind, then vanished instantly, leaving him struggling to snatch up the wisps of memory as it disappeared. But it was there, that face. Where did it come from?

_Who-Lyath…._

His eyes widened. The glass slipped and fell to the floor, shattering. The liquid splashed over his shoes and all over the rug and the wood paneling as glass shards scattered. He didn't move, though. His Majesty was trying to remember.

_Where did this memory come from? How could I have forgotten this? How could I have forgotten _him_? Impossible…_

As the face returned once again, this time with the colors and lines more bold with memory, he felt the lost links begin to surface from the darkness of his subconscious. A gap he didn't know existed before the two empty years began to form as the links came faster, connecting to the greater chain of King Mickey's memories.

Suddenly, the world didn't seem that simple anymore. The ones who had gone out into the Universe to find Sora had someone else to look for, too, the only person who could make Sora complete again, and the opening of the Door possible.

_Roxas…_

**Author's Endnote**: Holy moly, this thing is friggin' long! 0.0 I hope that's something for you people who have been waiting for ages for this chapter to come out. Happy New Year, everybody! Three months to Kingdom Hearts 2, celebrate! Please review, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this story, especially after the long absence. And do check up on my Bio page for occasional updates, thanks.


	15. Romancing the Past

**Author's Note:** Yes it's been a long time between updates, hasn't it? Well I have worse news for you: the next update will not be until the end of May. Why? A.P. tests in two months! I have to get ready! Three stories will be up on hiatus and three stories will continue running until they have accumulated enough chapters between them. You should know which ones I'm talking about. Well anyways, here's a good long one. It probably won't make sense but please try to understand. I'm trying to get the story going without dumping too much information in with each chapter. Forgive me if I confuse you.

**Copyrights**: All characters and settings belong to Square-Enix and Disney. Tetsu, Lyath, and people whose names you don't recognize probably belong to me. The storyline is mine. I have changed it slightly to fit what I've learned about Kingdom Hearts II but it is still my own story and will have nothing to do really with Kingdom Hearts II. Understand that.

**Warnings:** I have learned a bit of macabre imagery and violence. Nothing too bad yet but this is the beginning of sorrow.

**Rain of Sorrow**

**Chapter 14: Romancing the Past**

The rhythm of the turning wheels rocked the train compartment gently, making short work of those who thought to stay awake during the two hour-long ride from Twilight Town to Land of Dragons. Everybody, that was, except Tetsu. He was the only one who knew how to handle physical exhaustion. Obviously.

Goofy's snores were horrendous, jarring to one's ears, as his head continuously knocked against the wide window. Occasionally he hiccupped and muttered something utterly unintelligible. Zidane had his back to the window on the opposite couch, his right arm hanging over the side. He was drooling, spittle dribbling down the corner of his mouth, as he slept with his mouth wide open. His tail twitched continuously, slapping the floor every so often; sometimes he whacked Tetsu on the leg as he shifted in his sleep. Tetsu glared at the man out of the corner of his eye, disgusted and yet amused by the thief.

Across from him were Sunami and Kairi. They had been talking quietly for the first half-hour of the train ride, but eventually they began to doze off. He wasn't surprised they were gone so quickly, though; he knew Sunami had never gone through something as physically exhausting as a fight and a mile-long sprint to the train station, and he didn't even want to imagine what Kairi had gone through.

Tetsu scowled. Dammit, he hated thinking about her. The very name set him frothing with fury.

"_I _hate_ you."_

"_I hate you, too."_

Why did that one conversation, that one moment, keep echoing in his mind? He wanted to forget it but his mind wouldn't let him. What was it trying to tell him?

He sighed and leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes and trying to sleep. But he couldn't slip away into the bliss of slumber as the others did; his eyes just wouldn't close and his mind was still wound-up with the nasty street fight he was involved in. Tetsu opened his eyes and decided to study the ceiling, trying to immerse himself in the feathery delicate patterns that decorated the train. But questions plagued him, winged daggers stabbing into his mind, and Tetsu was forced to pluck one out of the maelstrom.

_Who am I? Am I Sora? Am I Lyath? Or am I somebody else? But who could that be? Why can't I be myself, just…Tetsu?_

_And what is this beast inside me? What are you? What do you want with me? How did you get in me? Do you even exist…or am I imaging things?_

Tetsu froze. Something within him stirred but it was not his mind taunting him. It was a multi-toned voice, a thought of many shades.

_Release. Release me from the earthly vessel that is you so that I may soar into the skies and join my brethren. They await me, and peace will never be until you release me._

Sweat beaded on his forehead and rolled down his face. Tetsu quickly wiped his face with his arm and tried to consider his position. He must be going mad. He _must_. He knew he wasn't talking to himself. He didn't even know the word 'brethren' was part of _his_ vocabulary, and knew very well that it never was…until that…that thing with ten voices spoke. Or did it speak? Was he just imagining things? Has his world finally turned upside down? Maybe the car crash he was involved in knocked him unconscious and this was all a dream. Maybe it _was_ a dream. Maybe he was imagining himself sitting in this train, talking to himself, while trying very hard not to stare at the red-haired girl sitting in front of him.

This was just wrong.

_I know what you don't know. I have done and seen what you have not. You do not remember all that has taken place but I do, and you will never know until you know who you are. Who you were. And who you will be._

"Why don't you stop being such a wise-ass and tell me what the hell you're doing in my body?" Tetsu hissed angrily.

_I am dead._

"Fucking brilliant-"

_All that remains is my essence, my soul. I have slept for years, having never flown up to join my kind up among the stars. But then came power, extraordinary power. I was suddenly awake and aware of who I was, what I was, and where I was. I discovered I was trapped, caught in a body of limitations, a cage with walls that seem so fragile yet were unbreakable. And yet there was a flaw. My kind is of perfection and so I sought to find the source of the flaw and fix it. But the power that awoke me was still there and I, in my foolishness, grasped it to mend the wound. Instead it exploded and I was thrown back into darkness, the darkness of your heart and soul, waiting for another moment, another chance, to perfect the living prison before escaping it._

"You make absolutely no sense. You want to fix your prison before escaping it?"

_We abide by laws not like your own, human. For instance, we know nothing of time. What was past was past and though we may reflect on it, it does nothing to us or for us. We think not about the future. Our minds, hearts, and souls are firmly set on the here and now. Back then I was awake. Now I am awake again. I closed my eyes against the explosion, and opened them in the midst of battle. You disturbed my sleep and I became alive. But alive I became to something so futile and pathetic. Here I am, on a meaningless journey, coming and going without a chance to stop and wonder how I became this way, and why I am forced to watch behind the eyes of a pitiful human, instead of the eyes that encompass the skies._

"Some show of appreciation you have for you 'prison'," Tetsu retorted scathingly. "Why can't I get rid of you? I'm not schizophrenic!"

_Dragons covet treasure. Once we set our eyes on the fated treasure, we never let it go-_

"_Excuse_ me?" Tetsu could not believe the voice in his mind just said what it just said. "Did you say _dragon_? Look. I didn't ask for some disembodied voice in my head in the first place! I didn't ask to wake up in the middle of some stupid city, did not ask to be run over by some fucking car, did not ask to have the blasted Organization stalk me, and I most certainly did not ask to look like two different boys all at once! And now _you_, you singsong turd of a voice who can control me on whim, go out on your way to call yourself a _dragon_? I didn't ask for this! I mean, nothing can get worse than this, can it? I hope not. I'm of a mind to jump off the train right now and end this-"

_The past cannot be helped. That was then. This is now. I am a dragon and I will not deny my identity, not like the way you do yours. But I did not ask for this, either. I know your life; it is crueler than most, but my life has been just as cruel. Would you like to know?_

"Yes, _please_."

_As I said, dragons covet treasure. Once a treasure, always a treasure. In my lifetime I have gathered gold, crowns of kings, swords of heroes, rings, goblets studded with precious stones, platters laced with silver, golden girdles of princesses, any treasure you can imagine that's made of something precious to your kind and mine. And yes, I have also taken in princesses themselves, although it was unfortunate that one black witch dragon got to the princess Aurora long before I even realized she was alive. But as is such, I continued to hoard more and more wealth, until my home in the deep earth was overflowing with gold. For I could not be sated. All dragons are born with the desire to find the one treasure that would soothe their souls and allow for their easy destruction by those empty-headed fools of knights, princes, and heroes who could not bring themselves to face the wrath of a real dragon awaiting its one true treasure. I have fended off those brave, reckless, and foolish for my treasure could not be found. And so I waited, waited and coveted. As the ages of humans and creatures passed by like pages of a book, I hoarded more and desired more._

_But all good things must come to an end. I was slain before I could find the treasure I desired. My brethren had long since gone, every one of them having found the one thing that made them care less about the world and even less about themselves. One, I recall, had a wondrous, large gemstone that glowed, although I remember very well it was stolen from him by a minute yet impeccable thief. He was killed in his rage, the rage that comes with the separation. I died in an enchanted sleep cast by a sorcerer. I was the last of the dragons and I died still wanting, still needing. Unlike the others, I could not let go. I was bound to this Universe, a soul in the wind, vengeful and vile and corruptive. Who knew what became of my treasures and my body with the invaluable dragon scales and heartstone. I only cared that I could not climb up to the heavens where my brethren were and join them as stars. I could not…because my treasure was not found._

_I wandered aimlessly, shamelessly taking over other creatures, including humans, and using them to provoke and create war. I was in a bloodlust, each minute feeling my rage grow with intensity as my desire for my treasure grew. Word spread of an evil thing in the wind and finally a king set out to capture me. He was an inventor, brilliant and thoughtful, but also foolish and reckless. He did capture me, but he chose to seal me in a living vessel, to make sure I could never break away. And so I am bound. Bound to you._

_I slept within you, my rage hindered and contained by the barriers that could never be broken with mere dragon fury. After touching upon the power and awakening within you, I simply waited, sleeping on and off and studying from the shadows. I wanted to escape your body, shed myself of my earthly existence, but I could not. I could not escape the curse of earthly treasure and I could not escape the curse the king blessed me with, the curse of being bound to you. A dragon becomes one with its treasure before the release comes but how could I become one with the treasure I desired if I was locked inside you, Human?_

"I don't believe this-"

_But you met her. You met her, Human, and the hope that was fading was rekindled._

"'Her'? Wait a minute…" Tetsu's mind was flying ten times faster than the train's speed and he was coming to a less-than-satisfactory conclusion. "No, that's impossible. That's ridiculous! You don't mean-"

_I do._

Something seized his head and jerked it down, tearing his eyes away from the ceiling. Then he was searching, looking about frantically, encompassing the whole of the room with a vision sharper and more vibrant than his own.

_Treasure. My treasure. I have found it. It is mine. Mine!_

Tetsu's eyes locked on Kairi's sleeping form and something flared up in him, a monstrous, raging form. Fire coursed his veins and Tetsu felt himself tremble, shake as the _thing_ within him shook.

_You have led me to the treasure I could not have found had I been alive. Nothing else matters to me now, Human. She is my treasure, mine and mine alone! How could I have been so blind? All of my life, from my inception until now, I had thought treasure was cold and shiny, things made by hands far more delicate than mine. I thought treasure was gold, precious stones, magic, princesses-_

"Lucky for you," Tetsu growled through gritted teeth; he couldn't jerk his head away and he really didn't want to look at her, "she _is_ a Princess. Strike one."

_You are not listening. I know why. But that does not matter now. Nothing else matters, not magic, not gold, not weaponry, not artificially formed objects, not even titles. Princess or no, she is the treasure I could not find while I was alive because she was not even born when I died! Don't you get it? She is the true treasure, the treasure of all treasures! That is why so many others seek her. That is why I must protect her! All who dare to touch her must die!_

"Easy there, horny dragon," he hissed, gripping the edge of his seat tightly. Tremors were racing through his body, taking control of him. He realized it was the dragon, its rage and its obsession, that was controlling his body. He hoped that it was the dragon alone. "Easy there…"

_Don't tell me what to do! I have found my treasure! She is right there, so near yet so far. I am not even a dragon, but a soul, a soul trapped inside a human. I cannot become one with my treasure as all others have, I cannot revel in its light, its beauty, its everlasting power as my brethren had theirs. I am forced to study behind your eyes, always desiring but never able to touch. Curse you! Why did the king lock me away in your pathetic existence? Why?_

"What the hell are you talking about, you sick disgusting dragon? How the hell can you-"

_We dragons are different from you humans! We know what you don't know! I know what you don't know! And I know what you deny knowing. Oh yes, I know so much about you Tetsu, so much and more; I could destroy you right now if I could. You know what I mean, don't you? Not physically but this world is not defined by all things physical. I will destroy you, pull you apart piece by piece from the inside, until you end up destroying yourself. Oh yes, if I cannot have the treasure I will destroy my prison from within, until I am free-_

"You will _not_ touch her!" Tetsu hissed. The voice was pounding and his eyes were beginning to hurt as he tried to do something about the voice. Shut it up, maybe. "You will never, ever, touch her!"

_You think you can stop me, Human? Do you really think you and your pitiful weapon can stop the wrath of a dragon? Mock me all you will but that will not stop me._

"Just shut up. Get out of my head and get back to sleep. Stop it. Stop it now, I mean it. Stop it and just shut up. I don't know what you're doing to me but if you don't stop now-"

_What can you do? Nothing! You are nothing without me! NOTHING! SHE IS MINE AND MINE ALONE, HUMAN-_

"SHUT UP! GODDAMN IT, JUST SHUT UP!"

The train rocked on its wheels and the passengers all shook and jumped to their feet at the cry of agony piercing through the previously quiet, air-conditioned atmosphere within the train's steel skin. They looked at each other, startled out of their wits. What was going on?

Kairi, whose dream of Sora was edging on a nightmare, jumped to her feet, her mind fuzzy but jolted. She was still groggy but she was slowly becoming aware of the others. Goofy and Zidane had already yanked their weapons out, both crouched low and ready to counter any danger that would present itself. Sunami had gone pure white; she was clutching Kairi's left arm tightly, cutting off blood flow, and her eyes were locked onto something. Someone. Kairi saw the look on the girl's face, followed her line of sight.

She stared. Kairi didn't realize her whole body was shaking as her sight blurred with tears. She wiped them away angrily with the back of her right hand, cursed herself silently for trying to cry when there was no reason to but they kept coming, trying to spill out of her. And then Kairi realized why. These hot tears of memory told her enough, just enough to make her shake with the pain and misery taking control of her body.

She hated Tetsu. She hated him so much for what he did to her. What he was doing to her.

Tetsu was kneeling down on the floor before her, clutching his head and making small odd sounds of restraint beneath his sunburnt hair. He kept rocking back and forth on his feet, whispering and hissing and cursing. His body shook continuously with what looked like pain. He _was_ in pain, continuous horrid pain.

The very sight, the very image of it weakened her. Kairi felt her legs shake uncontrollably as a hot, gushing feeling rushed through her. It was horrible; she was overwhelmed as echoes of the forgotten past resounded before her. Again, it was happening again, with _him_, with…

_Lyath…_

She slowly slid down to the floor on her knees, felt the tears streaming down her face. No, it couldn't be happening again, not the confusion, not the feeling of being pulled apart in a hundred different directions, not the terrible consistent aching in her heart, not the…no…not the…

"_Kairi, what are you doing?" Riku asked as he walked up to her side. "It's getting dark, Kairi, we should go in-"_

_She shook her head, just wished he could go away. "Quiet."_

_While he looked on questioningly, she knelt down and gently touched the surface of the water. She closed her eyes as the cool sea water flooded her school shoes and tried to calm the heated sadness lodged in her throat. _

_And then Kairi let go. She let go of the world around her and focused on the lump in her throat and the painful beating of her heart. She called out across the sea and into the stars up in the darkening sky, called with her heart for the one boy she loved so much._

'_Sora, Sora, where are you? Sora, come back to me. Sora…I'm still waiting. Sora…you promised. You promised to come back to me. Please…come backcsome back Sora, come back…'_

_Faintly she heard Riku sloshing through the rising waters towards her but she ignored the hand he placed on her shoulder. She didn't want to go in, wanted to stay there and call for him until the tide overwhelmed her and the sea pulled her away._

'_Sora, I love you. Please come back to me, please-'_

Kairi.

_She gasped, opened her eyes abruptly and fell down into the cold sea. She felt arms go around her and pull her back to her feet. She looked up._

"_Riku, what are you doing here?" she asked._

"_Waiting for you to snap out of it," he answered. "What were you doing?"_

_Kairi shook her head, grimaced as she felt the sopping ends of her hair touch her bare shoulders. She shivered slightly as the night wind blew her and pushed her against Riku._

"_C'mon," he whispered into her ear. "Let's go home."_

_Kairi nodded miserably. "I can't hear him, Riku. I can't feel him. I thought we were connected. Aren't we?"_

_Riku was contemplative as he pulled off his school jacket and placed it around her shoulders. "I don't know. I don't know anymore. It's all so…so confusing. Auron said he'd tell us if Cid sent word about King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Sora but there's been nothing. I'm sorry, Kairi. I don't know."_

_She sighed, nodded as they trudged through the sand. "Then who…"_

_She looked back towards the dark ocean and stopped. Riku paused and waited expectantly for her to continue. When she didn't, he asked, "Who what?"_

"_I…I was calling," she said slowly. "I was calling for Sora…and…I heard my name."_

_Riku narrowed his eyes as he stared at her. "Someone called your name? Who was it?"_

"_I…I don't…"_

"_You don't know? It wasn't Sora?"_

_Was it Sora? Kairi didn't know. She closed her eyes, whispered, "Wait."_

'_Sora, Sora, was that you? Sora-'_

Kairi. Kairi, it's me. Don't forget me, okay? Remember me.

_She felt herself falling, landed on the sand, sobbing as the pain exploded from her heart. She heard Riku calling her name, calling over and over again but she couldn't stop, wouldn't stop, not until the lump in her throat disappeared._

_It wasn't Sora._

"Lyath…" she whispered, looking at Tetsu's shaking form. "Lyath, was what you? Was that you calling me? Please…tell me…"

She reached out, tentatively, and let her fingers touch the side of Tetsu's face under his bangs. He automatically slapped her hand away, hissed angrily.

"Don't touch me."

And Kairi cried.

Sunami looked up at Goofy and Zidane. They had no idea what had just taken place, and they didn't think they'd ever know.

""

"Why are we going to Ancient Greece first?" Riku asked rather pointedly as he stared out the window and watched Traverse Town diminish as each second passed and the train pulled them further away.

"It's all about death," the Cheshire Cat grinned. He stood up, made circles and then sat down again, shifting comfortably, on Riku's head. "Always about death. It's not just Greece. Everywhere reeks of it."

"Must you speak such comforting words?" Naminé muttered as she leaned back in her seat and stared up at the train's dim lights. "There's life as well as death."

"But," the Cheshire Cat countered, "what life doesn't tell death does."

"I don't like it one bit," Donald declared. "If we're going to see Hades again-"

"Which is exactly what we're doing," Auron interjected.

"-then I'm-what!" Donald jumped to his feet indignantly. "Not Hades! I've had enough with Hades and his dog!"

"But like the _Cat_-" Auron really didn't like the Cheshire Cat and he made it apparent but the purple and pink Cat was extremely oblivious to it. Riku considered it being 'thickheaded' but Naminé secretly applied that to the silver-haired young man as well. "- said, death tells us what life doesn't. We haven't seen Sora. Therefore, we have to ask Hades if Sora has passed his way. Of course, it could be very dangerous, given the relationship between the two-"

"If you call it a relationship," Donald snorted. "If it wasn't Sora beating up Cerberus, it was Hades throwing fire at the three of us!"

"Beyond the River Styx lies answers, answers for the ear and answers for the heart and the answers for the restless wanderer who walks when he shouldn't," the Cheshire Cat literally sang out. "So many questions, so few answers, oh what do we do, what do we do?"

"How do you shut the Cat off?" Auron grumbled as he sunk into the high collar of his red coat. "I _would_ like some sleep-"

"But do you need it?" the Cheshire Cat interrupted. "Do you?"

"One more word…" Auron hissed. The Cat turned his head and grinned.

"Shall you slumber while I speak or shall I slumber while you speak?" he continued while standing up again and making circles on Riku's head. "Something to hide behind your eyes, Auron? Yet another holder of secrets? Troubles will remain while we ignore the past but romance it and it will spill its tales to you."

"Storyteller now, Cheshire Cat?" Naminé asked softly. "Why are you coming with us?"

"I told you, I have no place to go. Wonderland is gone and done, but my song is left unfinished. I will sing until I have lived my song. And then I will be finished," the Cat answered, then began humming an erratic tune that made Riku's ears bleed.

"That does it," Auron muttered angrily, rising to his feet.

Then he froze. Naminé stared at the solid, unmoving figure of the warrior. His hand was halfway to his waist, where she was sure his katakana was. Riku, whose face was set against the Cheshire Cat's humming, sat stock-still. The air conditioner in the train compartment was blowing but his long silvery hair didn't move. Donald Duck, who was gripping his staff tightly against the Cat's humming, had half-slid out of his seat to silence the Cat but he remained glued to the seat.

In essence, everyone and everything had frozen in time. Except Naminé and the Cheshire Cat.

"What did you do?" she whispered, her eyes narrowing. "It's been long since I've seen this happen. Is this train coming under attack?"

The Cat stopped humming. "Shadow, shadow of the heart and soul, who's the most truthful one of all?"

''

"You realize your time here is growing shorter every day?" the Cat said slowly, his singsong voice dulling with the seriousness in his face. His insane smile had vanished, too, as he stared intensely at Naminé. They sat in the middle of the train compartment on the floor, Naminé kneeling in front of the cat; her dress compromised her position and comfort greatly but she had no choice. The others in the compartment were still frozen in time.

She nodded. "Yes."

The Cat turned his head slowly and cocked it to one side. "Why didn't you do as you should have two years ago?"

"Because…" She felt her voice falter, drew in a shaky breath, then forced herself to answer. "Because…I wanted to live."

"So did he," the Cat replied. "And yet…he lives no more."

"We are not the same," Naminé retorted.

"But you are both Non-Existent."

"What does that matter? We can still breathe, think, see, touch, hear, taste, and-"

"You cannot live on soul alone. The soul isn't everything, Naminé. You need to find a heart, or else you will fade. Don't you wonder at the Organization's violence? They _know_. You have to go to Hades in the Underworld and ask if Sora has passed his way as a specter. If not, we still have a chance, a chance to find him and have him open the Door of Light. If Hades now holds him, then we are forced to find another way."

"And what is that?"

The Cat flicked his tail about. "Simple. We destroy the Organization and the Heartless forces. It will be hard, and so much will be lost, but if we can, we destroy the Darkness one by one until none are left standing against us."

Naminé shook her head in shock and horror. "We won't survive."

"If Sora is with Hades…" the Cat said quietly, "then Riku will need to use the Keyblade again, won't he?"

The blonde woman nodded. "But he denies it. Auron told me. Riku doesn't want to touch the weapon. He thinks he's at fault for everything."

"Riku was the original Keyblade Master," the Cheshire Cat corrected. "We had better hope he can open the Door if Sora can't. And if he does, you can gain a heart."

"Or lose it," Naminé countered. She made a fist. "The Light can dissolve me like it did to Ansem."

The Cat shook his head again. "You stand a better chance of gaining a heart than losing yourself. You have lived here long enough and you have attained near-human status. All you are missing is a heart. Have you forgotten?"

Naminé frowned. "No, of course not-"

"I think you did. Living with those who can feel in ways you cannot has rubbed off on you, yes? You can now react to anything as a real human can, although you still cannot _truly_ feel."

She frowned. "You sound like…you sound like DiZ, when he mocked me…for loving Sora…"

The Cat grinned, his white teeth flashing. "We are nearing Ancient Greece. But we still have time. Oh yes, we have time. You have time to tell me…everything you have done…two years ago."

Naminé glared at the Cat's sardonic smile. "I won't tell you."

"But how do you remember what DiZ told you?"

"Because…I didn't erase all of my memories."

"But you know enough."

"I won't push it on the others. The links are still there. I only want to start the chain reaction, so that they can regain the memories on their own-"

"Pushing won't help. Shoving won't, either. Two years you have been absent from the Universe. Months ago you washed up on the shores of Destiny Islands. This I know because the Cat sees what others don't. You were gone for nearly two years, a mighty long time, I think. The links are scattered too far; you have to force them to come together in ways I can't even begin to imagine. In fact…your little _escapade_ had disrupted the links in that boy's mind-" the Cat nodded towards Riku "-in such ways that he relives now the horrors of his past."

"In sleep?" she asked, her eyes widening with horror. Naminé turned to Riku in shock. "Have I…?"

"You have to ask him yourself," the Cat said quietly as he rose to his feet and padded his way to Riku's feet. He leaped up onto the young man's lap, then proceeded to pull his way up onto Riku's head. "There is darkness in him, as there is darkness in you. Darkness…that comes with sin."

"What do you know of sin-" Naminé began sharply but the Cheshire Cat began humming again. This time it was a screeching racket, and she quickly clapped her hands over her ears to stopper the horrid sounds.

"That does it," Auron muttered angrily, rising to his feet. "Shut up now damn Cat or I will break the window and throw you out!"

The Cat stopped humming only to regard Auron with a lazy eye. "Would you now? I am your guide, your light down the dark path of searching and seeking. Would you really want to rid yourself of my presence?"

"Well if you don't shut up," Donald said, coming to Auron's defense, "I will set you on fire!"

"As long as he's _not_ on my head," Riku added. "Cheshire Cat, why are you here with us if you're going to drive us mad?"

"If you think I'm crazy, you clearly don't know enough of this new world, Riku," the Cat said with a rather sneaky smile. "The Universe has changed much since that fiasco of yours two years ago. I shall guide you and show you what has happened since the long sleep of the years had taken its toll on you and your friends."

_We are approaching Ancient Greece. Please return to your seats. We will be arriving in ten minutes._

Everyone looked up at the loudspeaker installed right above Auron's seat.

"Shall I escort you all along?" the Cheshire Cat was heard saying. "Shall I show you what has become of the Universe?"

Donald sat down on the seat, his face suddenly despairing.

"What has happened since we were gone?" he whispered.

The Cat's smile was unrelenting in its scornful brilliance.

"Many things."

""

"Shit, it's cold."

"What did you expect? Sunshine and palm trees? Deal with it, Tetsu."

"I don't need to hear from the likes of you-"

"Oh give me a break! Since when did _you_ start complaining?"

"Since when did _you_ start getting all uppity?"

"Since forever!"

"Yeah, well same here!"

An icy wind howled.

"Why does it have to be cold-"

"Look whose talking now-"

"Shut up! Just because I'm the one stuck walking around in a dress-"

"I've got no sleeves-"

"Stay out if this, Zidane!"

The blond man wilted and literally sunk into the deep snow.

"Ugh," Sunami groaned. "Will you two quit it? You sound like that one couple who always fight outside-"

"WE'RE NOT MARRIED!"

The brunette sighed and smacked herself in the face. "Why do I even try…"

Goofy shrugged. "Der…'cuz it's the right thing to do? Who knows what's out here…"

He gave a long sweeping arc to the snowy landscape surrounding them. The snow was melting; everybody could see that but snow was still there. Kairi, rubbing her arms briskly against the cold, stopped to see small pink buds wavering against the winter breeze on the branches of a dark, seemingly dead tree.

"Sakuras," Tetsu said quietly, coming up next to her. She raised an eyebrow at him and quickly backed away. "Cherry blossoms."

He trudged onward through the snow, leaving her scrambling and cursing after him. Kairi muttered angrily as her shoes sank in the white snow; she had forgotten it was February, and that this was no tropical getaway.

_Next time I should just go and boil my head in Agrabah! How could I forget that it's still _snowing_ in the Land of Dragons? Why is it so cold…_

Kairi found herself making very strained noises in the back of her throat and quickly stopped. She sighed, then found herself angrily cursing the weather again as another breeze blew through the cold landscape. Goofy was shouting something as he bounded through the snow, something about a dirt road. Sunami was busy tugging her orange jacket around her tighter while Zidane, swinging his tail about and sending up snow everywhere, whistled loudly and very annoyingly. And where the hell was Tetsu-

Something heavy and cold dropped on top of her and she sputtered as ice entered her mouth. She looked up at a tree heavily laden with clumps of snow and glared as she brushed the snow off of her hair. Unfortunately most of the snow had melted as soon as it came into contact with her body and she started shivering uncontrollably as she hurried after the others, quite forgetting Tetsu in an attempt not to catch hypothermia and die in the middle of nowhere. Why was the train station built so far away from Land of Dragon's cities?

Kairi yelped when something heavy landed on her again. She froze, then blinked when she realized it wasn't as cold as expected, nor as wet. Wait, it wasn't even snow to begin with…

She peeked over her shoulder at Tetsu, who strode by her without much of a glance.

"If you _do_ want to die, you can give it back to me," he said while Kairi tugged his still-warm coat around her. She pulled it on, yanking it up her arms and crossing her arms tightly as she followed him through the snow. "But if you don't want to die…"

"If you want some show of thanks, you're not getting it," she snapped, then hurried past him. She hoped he didn't see the blood rising in her cheeks, and cursed herself quietly as she fell in step with Sunami.

_Why did he have to look like two people at once? Why couldn't he just look like Sora and leave it at that? Why did he have to look so much like Lyath, too? Why is he confusing me? Argh, I hate him! I hate him, I hate him, I hate him_-

"A-hyuk!" Goofy suddenly shouted, leaping through the snow. "That there's Mulan's village! C'mon!"

He floundered through the snow, tossing the cold white matter everywhere; the knight literally blitzed his way down the hill they were on, revealing a dark dirt path underneath the layers and layers of late winter snow. That was when Kairi noticed faint smoke trickling upwards, climbing tentatively into the chilly air.

"Life at long last!" Zidane crowed and ran after Goofy, leaving Kairi, Sunami, and Tetsu to watch them.

"They make me sad," Tetsu quipped with sarcastic heavy-heartedness. Kairi glared at him. Every word he uttered seemed to just get on her nerves.

"You make me sad, too," she snapped and half-ran down the dirt trail Goofy cleared. Sunami watched her disappear below the rise and then looked at Tetsu, raising an eyebrow questioningly in the process.

He scowled but his eyes never left her vanishing form, until Sunami decided to ask, "So, what's going on between you two-"

"Nothing!" Tetsu retorted, turning on the brunette. She held her breath as the familiar face of someone from her past flashed across his face. "If you get any ideas…"

"What ideas?" she asked innocently. Tetsu grimaced.

"Forget it. I never said anything."

"And I'll keep that in mind," Sunami said sarcastically as they descended down the hill after Goofy, Zidane, and Kairi. In the distance they could see the walls of a village. It was a big village, more like a town actually, with many buildings within its walls. Frozen fields, untouched to thaw for spring planting, surrounded the village and spread for at least two miles, with farm houses scattered amongst them. There were people moving in and out and around the town, people wearing heavy winter clothing and moving about in lively fashion. There was a steady stream of people crawling into and out of the nearby snow-laden forest, those returning laden with timber and kindling.

Goofy, who was ahead of Zidane by leaps and bounds, was exclaiming randomly as he barged down the cold dirt road towards the town. People on and near the road gradually stopped all activity to stand up straight and regard the stranger in bright orange and green attire with curiosity. Then they saw the blond young man with the long tail running after the brightly-dressed stranger. Then there was the tall, beautiful red-haired woman clutching the oversized black coat around her tightly. And behind her was another woman with wavy brunette hair and clothing that didn't quite seem adequate for the winter. Next to the woman was a tall young man with sunburnt brown hair and fierce blue eyes. He was wearing a black, short-sleeved shirt with long black pants and black boots, which was definitely out of place for such a time in the winter season but the observers were probably able to deduce that the black coat belonged to him and not to the redhead.

Goofy stopped short meters before the town gates and stood up straight. A man on a regal white mare was approaching him from within. The man was stern, with a rigid riding position, and a tense stance. He was obviously a military man, and a nervous one, too, with the way his eyes kept darting about.

"General Shang!" Goofy yelled loudly, sweeping his hat off his head and bowing low. "Glad ter see you again!"

"Goofy? You're alive?" the man demanded, shocked. He then looked up at the entourage following the knight. "And are they with you?"

"A-hyuk, that's right!" Goofy said with a nod as he straightened himself. "It's been a while, Shang, hasn't it?"

"Far too long for our good, Goofy," the man named Shang said softly as the others approached. "These are dangerous times. Come inside the walls; we're nearing curfew and one would not want to be locked out when curfew comes."

"Why, what's happened here?" Goofy asked curiously while the stragglers caught up. Shang was sweeping over the group of five with a studious eye. He focused on the lithe red-haired woman for a minute longer, then noticed how tense the tall man had suddenly become. He forced his eyes off of her to turn to Goofy.

"Who are they, Goofy?" Shang asked, while the people of the town all around them gradually resumed their business.

"This here's Zidane, from Holler Bastion," Goofy said, pointing at each person as he listed them. "That's Kairi, the Seventh Princess of Heart. That's Sunami, from Twilight Town. And that there's Tetsu an' we don't know where he's come from!"

Tetsu was scowling. "Don't I feel so special-"

"You egotistical narcissist," Kairi muttered, receiving a heated stare from Tetsu. Fighting the conflicting emotions within her, she returned his eyeballing with a glare, resulting in a staring contest in which everybody present was presently ignored and forgotten.

"If they keep this up," Zidane remarked after what seemed like five minutes of eternity had passed, "we'll never get anywhere. Literally."

Shang was staring at them-at Kairi, really. "Let me get this straight. She's a _princess_?"

"Technically. I don't know," the blond man quipped in reply. "Figuratively speaking, she's way prettier than a princess."

"And where do I go?" Sunami demanded with a scowl. "Are you saying I'm ugly?"

"Yes-uh, no!" Zidane yelped, backing away quickly and falling over a thick, solid lump of ice. "No, no, I didn't mean it!"

Shang sighed. "Mulan's going to have a field day for sure. Follow me."

''

"Since when, since _when_, did you decide to-to-to…."

Kairi was at a loss for words. The Fa household seemed as lively as ever, although it was regrettable that Mulan's grandmother had passed away a year ago. With Mushu running around, irritating the hell out of a lazier Khan and with Crickee at his heels chirping all the while, one might think that all really was well since the last time she had met Mulan.

Well, there was _one_ problem. Squared.

"Two years is a long time," Mulan's father, Fa Zhou, said solemnly and with pride, coming to Mulan's defense almost immediately. "They're like little angels."

"Going through the terrible twos," Mushu declared to Sunami as he sat on the stone bench near a bare tree leaning over a small wild stream passing through the garden. He was hugging his tail and stroking it gently as he spoke. "I mean, man, if you thought you had it tough, you ain't seen nothing yet! Tugging at my tail all the time…and that girl tried to _eat_ me! Lucky Crickee was there or I would have never made it!"

Zidane, who didn't know Mulan as well as most of the others, was busy exploring the length and breadth of the large home Shang had taken them to. Tetsu hovered at the gates, apparently not comfortable of being within walls within walls, and obviously disliking the number of people in the vicinity. Goofy was chatting happily with Shang and Mulan, and Sunami was busy listening to Mushu telling his tales and having a laugh with…

_I can't believe Mulan decided to have kids!_ Kairi thought, watching the two rather cherubic two-year-olds tugging at Sunami's fingers while she smiled. _If this happened, then what about the other worlds? What happened to the people? What happened to their worlds?_

Then Mulan's mother, Fa Li, who had been watching over the children, swept up the young boy while Sunami gently lifted up the girl. The two women whispered, then took the children into the house. Kairi watched them go with a raised eyebrow; how did Sunami gain her trust so quickly?

But then she turned back to Mulan, Shang, Fa Zhou, and Goofy, who were now all carrying grim expressions. Curious as to why, she inched towards them, wondering what it was they were talking about.

"…the winters have been hard on us," Fa Zhou was saying. "Two years of utter coldness and the sun does not shine on many days of the season. And there have been news of Mongols gathering outside the Great Wall."

"The Emperor hasn't done anything yet," Mulan continued. "But an outsider came to town a few days ago, looking for me. He was part of the original army two years ago, so he knew who Sora was-"

Kairi perked up and visibly moved closer towards them. Shang watched her carefully but Mulan took no notice.

"-and he told me the Mongols have the assistance of Heartless. I don't know of this is true but if it is, we won't be prepared for it. The Heartless have been attacking on and off for the better part of two years and with a really bad winter this year, I don't know how we can pull it off-"

"Well, Tron an' Wunderland are gone and all…" Goofy mused sadly. "Can't afford to lose another world-"

"Tron was two years ago," Mulan said smoothly, although she did look surprised at the news about the other world. "But what about Wonderland?"

"Last I heard," Goofy explained, "Alice's heart was taken again but Wunderland was obliterated. I think, though, her body's safe. Yeah, it was taken out of Wunderland before it was overrun. It's at Holler Bastion, I think."

"Well this ain't good at all!" Mushu exclaimed, appearing suddenly on Mulan's head. "We gotta go warn the Emperor about this!"

He then swung his head to Kairi. "Whoa! And what are _you_ doing here?"

Kairi bit her lip, then answered, "We're looking for S-Sora."

She stopped almost immediately, wondering at her hesitation in uttering his name.

"Well, he certainly hasn't passed this way," Mulan said, shaking her head. Her eyes were sad. "I'm so sorry, Kairi."

She sighed. "That's what everybody's been saying. I mean, where did he go? How can…how can he disappear like that? I wish I knew what happened two years ago at the castle…"

Goofy nodded sadly. "Yeah, me, too."

Shang blinked at Goofy. "Weren't you there?"

"I dunno. Maybe I was, maybe I wasn't. I can't remember. Dunno why."

Mulan tapped her chin thoughtfully. While she was thinking, Fa Zhou stepped in. "Let us go in. Perhaps you should go to the Emperor tomorrow. Perhaps he knows something of where Sora has gone."

Kairi sighed while Goofy nodded. "Sure, why not?"

"I'll go with you," Shang declared. "Just in case you run into trouble."

Goofy nodded happily but Kairi saw the longing look on Mulan's face. Poor Mulan; just when she thought her life had settled and she could raise a family with Shang in peace, Kairi, Goofy, and their three companions just had to come along looking for Sora. Sparks of another journey, another venture. But it was too late for Mulan now.

But Mongols allying with Heartless? This was new.

"Goofy," Kairi said as everyone started gravitating towards the buildings within the walls of Mulan's home, "shouldn't we send word to King Mickey about this?"

Zidane and Tetsu stopped and looked at Kairi, surprised at her sudden suggestion. Goofy was shocked, too, and embarrassed.

"Gwarsh," he said. "How could I have forgotten that?"

""

"Oh. My. God."

There very few things that surprised Riku. He wasn't one to be easily stunned or scared shitless by anything that popped out from around the corner, nor was he often shaken by horrible, grisly news.

But this…this was monstrosity of the likes he could never, _ever_ put words to. How could this have happened? How could so much horror and evil taken place in a span of just two years? How was this possible?

The Cheshire Cat had spoken true about the changes in the Universe. Outside the safe, unchanged walls of Traverse Town, beyond the horizon of Destiny Islands, lay changes that he knew he should have noticed. It had begun in Hollow Bastion yet he missed it. He missed all the signals and it was all there, laid out for him.

'_Darkness, darkness everywhere. It radiates wherever you go. This world is tainted, perhaps forever. Hades is remarkable.'_

_Shut up, you hag. I don't want to hear _anything_ from the likes of you!_

The train whistled as its wheels grated against the collecting rust on the train tracks and pulled away from the train station. Riku was of the mind that it was getting away from the station as fast as possible and he wasn't one to blame it. The train station itself was a debacle; mold and moss riddled the once-smooth marble walls. Cracks and layers of dust and dirt muddled the white walls and he didn't even want to know what he was walking on; it looked like worse than shit. Literally.

And it was empty. The train station was devoid of life. There was nobody leaving the train with them nor was there anyone waiting to board the train. It was lifeless. And beyond the train station…

…the streets of Corinth were empty. A stale wind trickled through the heavy dust and soot that had come to settle on the cobblestone ground and the buildings stood gaunt and shadowed by evil times. The skies were dull; the sun was a sickly yellow circle against smoggy clouds. Somewhere a door was creaking and swinging back and forth on its hinges, unchecked by neither a doorknob and lock, nor a human. There _were_ no humans.

They were the only ones alive. Ancient Greece was dead.

"What the holy fuck…" Auron muttered as he took a step forward and adjusted the spectacles on his nose. He didn't expect this, either, apparently.

Donald dropped his staff. "How-how-how-"

"I told you once, I told you twice, better think again before you roll the dice," the Cheshire Cat hummed on top of Riku's head. "I warned you, I warned you, but did you take me seriously? No, oh no, you didn't believe me one bit. I know what you don't know, and I know what must be done, but too late, oh too late for Ancient Greece-"

"Be quiet," Auron snapped. "What you're saying is all full of useless nonsense. Open your mouth when you have something more intelligent to tell us."

Naminé took a tentative step forward, tightening her hold on her sketchbook. Her arms were shaking as her wide eyes took in the horrid sight. There was a look on her face, something indescribable but painful. She looked sideways at the Cheshire Cat and a small frown formed on her face.

"What now?" Donald asked dejectedly. "I mean…look at this."

He waved his left hand about in a sweeping motion as he bent over and picked up his staff. He shook it and watched unhappily as dust and dirt trickled off his weapon.

"We should find Hercules, for one," Auron said softly, scanning all the streets. "Where would the Coliseum be?"

"Follow me."

Riku immediately turned left and the others, surprised as they were at his knowledge, followed him. Auron dropped back immediately, setting the flat part of his katana on his shoulder and tightening the grip. He peered at the world from above his spectacles, scrutinizing every shadow they passed by. Donald continually whacked the palm of his hand with his staff, while turning his head this way and that. He was clearly visibly unhappy with what was going on. This was Ancient Greece. He _knew_ the people and he _knew_ the world. What the hell happened here?

_Where did the people of a whole world go? How could they have just…vanished, like that?_

'_I have seen widespread destruction of such kind only a few times in my life and never any after I began my war with that friend of yours.'_

_You got a problem with Sora, Ansem? Is that it? You've always had a problem with him. What the hell are you talking about?_

'_A world does not normally fall silent while collapsing into entropy. What's keeping Ancient Greece alive?'_

_And why do you care?_

'_It is my universe as much as it is yours. I have every right to be curious, every right to assess the situation in each world-'_

_Oh shut up._

Riku grimaced as he stepped on something solid and it gave way under his weight with a hollow crack. He looked down and froze.

"Riku?" Naminé asked worriedly, coming to his side. "What is…it…"

She fell silent, stared as well.

A bone. A human leg bone. Part of a larger skeleton, covered in the dust and dirt of the streets yet still there, its dirty ivory skull gaping up at them. It looked like it was smiling.

''

The Coliseum, too, was in decay. Its once-glorious walls were unwashed and cracked; moss and lichen grew in a scattered pattern over the carvings depicting the deeds of the heroic gods and Hercules. The high-rising columns were showing signs of aging; cracks ran through the grooves like veins. The golden doors were rusting over; clumps of hard brown material stuck to the doors, making it appear warty. The steps were littered with dead plant material and refuse; it was revolting, utterly revolting to look at.

And surrounding the premises of the Coliseum, Riku noticed, were more bones. Not just human bones. Horse bones. Dog bones. Even the skeletons of minute birds. The trees were scraggly, blackened, and none of them grew leaves. They were dead, for all purposes. Then Riku stared. From one of the larger trees, hanging by its arms, was a half-rotten corpse. It looked like a soldier; the rusting copper armor had not been removed from the body. The flesh was rotting but there were no flies.

Even the flies were gone.

Then bile rose in the back of his throat, and Riku quickly turned away, fighting down the urge to vomit. But in his mind he was so disgusted he nearly lost his war with his stomach.

What happened here?

"This is…" Naminé whispered, carefully keeping her eyes away from the trees, "horrible. How could Ancient Greece become so…"

She couldn't even finish the sentence; her voice shook as she carefully sidestepped the strewn bones of what looked like a child.

"Like I said," the Cheshire Cat whispered, no longer smiling, "the Universe has changed. You tend to see only perfection, but perfection does not exist. You tend to see beauty…but two years and you will not see it that way again. Time marches, Time overruns, and we have lost the fight against it. You think the war has been halted for two years, just to wake you out of your endless sleep? Then you are truly foolish, if-"

"Well I didn't expect _this_," Auron snapped, gesturing with his free hand to the tree. "Not _this_ level of destruction! I have seen destruction at its very worst but this? And for two years? Then where's Hercules? Phil? Meg? Maybe Pegasus, even? Where did they go? They wouldn't abandon Ancient Greece even if their lives depended on it-"

"Maybe they did because their lives _did_ depend on it," Riku suddenly said. He turned to the others and raised an eyebrow at the shocked expressions on their faces. Well except for the Cheshire Cat, who was still sitting on his head. "No, really, I mean it. You know we're not superheroes. When danger comes, people _will_ run. A few of the braver ones will stay and fight, but most people will run. You know it. We may be braver but I will run if there is no hope. If they're not here…I understand. But do you?"

He looked at them, each one of them. "Cat, what about the rest of the Universe? What happened to them?"

"Fear. Fear reeks wherever you go. Fear and darkness and death. That is the Universe you face."

Naminé closed her eyes tightly. "How, though? How did we lose control?"

"The Light is led by the Keyblade Masters," the Cheshire Cat said. Riku waited but the Cat spoke no more. But it nagged him, nagged him until-

'_He talks of what you were unable to do, which was to accept the Keyblade when it first came to you.'_

_What? Then am I-_

'"Riku," Auron spoke, "can you still wield a Keyblade?"

He turned to the older man and his eyes narrowed. He could, couldn't he? He had used the Keyblade before but it was not a power he was willing to use again. No, he would not touch something so pure and so full of Light. Never again. But still…he could, couldn't he? If he tried…

"No. I can't. We need Sora."

"But what about King Mickey?" Donald asked the Cat.

"His Keyblade he did not lose. But his Keyblade was given."

"Given!" Donald demanded. "What do you mean by that!"

"His Keyblade was given to the ones who can wield. What do you think?"

The wizard frowned. "His Majesty never told us this! How could he have hidden this from us?"

"Two years," Naminé blurted. "Two years can cause many things to slip the mind."

Riku snorted. "You think I'd forget that?"

"And me," Donald added. "I wouldn't forget anything. Especially when it involves the Keyblade."

"No, but let's see if they've forgotten," Auron said, walking ahead and up the stairs. His boots crunched through a skull but he ignored it. He touched the door and grimaced at the rust. Then he banged at the door. "Hello? Anyone alive in there?"

"Alive?" Riku snorted, then bit his tongue. _Maleficent, you damn bitch!_

"Hello? Open up!"

Riku sighed. He then walked up and shoved the doors open.

He was met with the pointy end of a spear.

"Riku?" Megara gasped, dropping the spear. "What are you doing here-Naminé? Auron? Donald? And…"

"Cheshire Cat's the name, making riddles is my game," he said with a smile, doing a handstand on Riku's head.

"Except he's done nothing but scare us," Donald muttered.

Meg couldn't speak. Her hands twitched but there was no spear to hold onto. The woman looked ragged; she was gaunt, her clothes hanging off her body. Her brown hair was piled high on her head but it was all tousled. She looked exhausted.

"Meg?" Naminé said softly, "Meg, its okay. It's only us. Calm down now."

"C-calm down?" she said, her voice faint and shaking. "You've only been gone two years. Where were you? Where were you when we needed you?"

"Meg," Auron said calmly, "Meg, calm down. Meg, where's Hercules? Where's Phil? What happened here? Where is everybody?"

"Everybody? Phil? Hercules?" Meg fell on the ground. "Hercules? Hercules? If you were here, Hercules wouldn't be gone! He wouldn't be off doing the work of evil if you didn't go disappear into thin air for two years! He wouldn't be down there-" she pointed to the ground "-working his ass off despite everything he worked for just to keep me and Phil alive! Where were you? Where were you when the Heartless and the Organization restarted their war? Where were you when they swept through the streets of Corinth, purging every building of its people? Where. Were, You!"

Riku stared at her. She had given a hell of a speech but nothing stood out of it, except for Hercules. Hercules…doing the work of evil? What!

"Meg," Riku said, walking quickly to her and kneeling beside her. "Meg, what happened to Hercules? Where is he? What happened?"

"What happened!" a voice rocketed throughout the dusty and dirty courtyard. "I tell you what happened, you dirty scalawag-Riku?"

Phil bolted in from the main building, holding a short blunt sword. "What-how?"

"Phil," Auron said coldly, turning towards the satyr." Where is Hercules? What happened to him?"

"Herc?" Phil suddenly looked mad. "I tell you! That damn Pete came in with Heartless and the next thing I knew, he and Hades had gone and released the damn Titans! Then the Organization –or whatever's left of it after Sora ran through it-came in with the Nobodies and a whole war started on this damn planet!"

"Two years," Naminé whispered. "Two years for all…all of this?"

She waved a hand to the once-clean and glorious courtyard. The walls were crumbling, cracked in places. Now blast marks were visible. Where plaques once hung on the walls, filled with illustrious names and rankings, now there were only chips and cracks and moss. The copper braziers were rusted over and some had fallen over and left there. Neglected.

"Two years is a very long time," Meg said, her voice stronger now. "Two years. Do you have any perception of time? So much destruction, dragged over such a long period of time, leaves nothing to be saved. It really is over. Wherever you went, we were forced to fight for ourselves but…we lost. Ancient Greece…_lost_."

"I know time," Naminé whispered. "We're looking for Sora. And if we find him, he can open the Door, and change everything, just to the way it was."

"It's not a matter of romancing about those nostalgic, nostalgic times," the Cat hummed abruptly. "It's not about looking back, of thinking far, far back. It's time to move forward, through darkness and through light. Who will we meet and who will we save?"

Riku nodded. "Meg, Phil, where's Hercules?"

"You wanna know the goods on Hercules?" Phil snapped. "Well I'll tell you. Two words: he's working for Hades now. And there's nothing you can do about it unless you can bargain the crap out of Hades. Got the whole contract and everything. Just like Cloud."

Riku jerked, startled by the memory.

_Cloud…_

'_Under contract. Typical of Hades. Good luck.'_

""

"His Majesty will receive the message by tomorrow, at the very least and if the weather holds," Fa Zhou's words during dinner echoed in her mind. "He will know. In the meantime, all of you should get some sleep. We have prepared the guest rooms for you. Tomorrow morning Shang will take you to the Forbidden City, where you may meet the Emperor and tell him what you are up to."

Tomorrow…they will meet an emperor. Tomorrow, the search continues. Tomorrow, will they hear news of Sora? Or even find him?

"Finding you…" Kairi whispered as she struggled through the snow, "is proving harder than I thought, Sora. You had better make up a good explanation for why you disappeared two years ago. You had better tell me why it was so hard for you to come back to me…after everything you've said-"

_He was close, so close. She was so afraid, frightened, but she did nothing as he came closer and closer. He looked nervous, too, was as scared as she was. They were both frightened. Frightened of what they were feeling._

"_Lyath," she whispered._

"Damn it!" she screamed into the night. She took several deep breathes as she glared at the empty rice fields behind the Fa home. A hard winter. The snow was thick and the winds unmerciful. She pulled the jacket Fa Li loaned to her tighter around her body and shivered. A hard winter…

"_The Mongols have something the Huns do not have," Shang said seriously, looking at Goofy as he spoke. "They are expert horsemen and they have many archers. If it is true they have allied themselves with the Heartless, then we will be in worse trouble than last time. Archers on horseback supported by Heartless is a dangerous combination. And I think they know it."_

"_The Heartless destroy," Zidane said between mouthfuls; he was devouring everything he could reach at the table and he was ignoring all the warning signals sent to him by everyone who knew he lacked table manners. "The Mongols, don't they conquer?"_

"_Conquer and destroy," Sunami whispered and shivered. "It sounds…horrible."_

"_And it should," Fa Zhou said calmly. "The Huns had done enough long ago. But now, we've had a hard winter. It came much too early and wiped out almost all of our rice crops. All the other villages, towns, and cities throughout the kingdom are suffering as well. And the winter is lasting far too long, at least at this strength. The winter should have lessened by now but it hasn't. Something is terribly wrong."_

"What could go wrong?" Kairi muttered. "What else could possibly go wrong? Besides Riku and Naminé appearing one day at the shores not knowing how they got there or what happened for the last two years. Besides the Heartless invading Destiny Islands. Besides the Organization splitting us up at Hollow Bastion. Besides…besides Sora not coming home. Not appearing where people know him. Not saving us when the war is picking up where it left off. Besides…besides…him. Why him? How did I forget him? How could I have forgotten him? Why? Why-"

"Are you done? It's fucking cold and you're just standing there talking to yourself. Are you done now? Can I escort you back inside?"

"Why you!" Kairi screamed, whirling around to see Tetsu standing there watching her. "Why did you have to come into my life? Haven't I suffered enough already? Haven't I had my mind, my memories, my heart, my whole life torn and tossed about? Haven't I had enough with being a plaything, enough with being the helpless, stupid princess who's been waiting day and night for her damn prince to come home? Haven't I had enough already, waiting for Sora day and night, waiting for him to fulfill his promise? And then you had to come! You had to come looking like Sora, using the Keyblade with the charm I made and gave to him! You-"

"Am sick and tired of hearing you scream at me like this day in and day out!" Tetsu snapped, striding through the snow towards her. She backed away, stumbling over uneven ground as he drew near. "Tired of trying to figure out who the fuck I am! At least you know who you are! It's much more tiring wandering around trying to figure out why everybody's trying to either kill you or pin you as a savior! I'm nobody! I'm no one. I did nothing to deserve all of this, the ones who want to kill me and the ones who want me to save them! I am nobody, my name's not mine, my weapons-I don't even know where they came from! I stole this coat from a man I killed and I don't even know why he tried to kill me! All I know is that more of his friends are after me, too. Why? I don't even know! So don't you start yelling at me, Kairi! Don't!"

They were standing face to face, their breaths mingling together and fogging the air. She gripped the coat tightly, to the point her hands hurt. He was trembling, his face laced with anger.

"Stop comparing me to your Sora," Tetsu spat. "I'm not Sora. I don't care about what happened between you and him long ago. That's the past. I'm trying to deal with the now. And you're not helping."

"The past is with us, wherever we go," she hissed. "It's the past that makes us who we are. Sora was my life then, and he is now."

"You're forgetting someone," he replied. "Lyath."

Kairi paled. Then anger flushed through her. "Shut up! You know nothing about Lyath so shut the hell up! You have no idea-"

"You have no idea," Tetsu interrupted. "Who are you looking for, Kairi? Who is it you want to see again? The people you look for now aren't what they were in the past. Two years is a long time. Just stop comparing me to someone you knew two years ago. He won't be anything like what you think he is. He's not your Sora."

"How do you know? You know nothing!"

She turned and pushed deeper into the night.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" she heard Tetsu demand. "Where the hell are you going, Kairi? Get back here!"

"Just leave me alone!" she yelled back. "I don't want to deal with the likes of you right now-"

"Kairi! Stop!"

"What are you talking about?" she snapped, turning her head to him. "Who are you to order me about-"

"Kairi, get back here!"

"What-"

Something moved in the darkness. Kairi froze and quickly turned her head back. Her breath puffed up into the air, then the little clouds rose up rapidly as her heart quickened. There was something out there.

It snorted. A horse. Metal clanked against itself. An armored horse.

A long stick became visible in the night. A sword. The heavy breathing. A man.

Slowly the sword came towards her. She quickly backed away, as fast as possible, but hit something warm and soft. And solid. It moved abruptly and she pulled away again.

"No…" It was Tetsu. But he was too far away. Too far away and too late to do anything.

"Don't move," a harsh, stony voice hissed through the night as the sword rested on her shoulder. Its sharp edge, she knew, was facing her neck. "Don't move."

The moon suddenly seemed to move a little higher. Because now Kairi realized what she had run into.

Three horsemen. All armed. They were not a part of the kingdom.

The Mongols were here.

""

Cid was muttering to himself about the latest prank Louie, Huey, and Dewey pulled on him when someone tried to open the doors to his store. Cid sighed. Damn the triplets! He still had to figure out how to undo the bit of magic they created; somehow they had charmed his doors into not opening from the outside. This forced Cid to get on his feet and answer the door each and every time. And not only that; they put the seal on his trapdoor, too! He couldn't go in and out through the Moogle Shop upstairs if he wanted to.

Damn triplets. He should make a list of everything they did wrong before sending it over to Disney, where it will be waiting for Donald when he comes back from his little trip around the Universe-

"Coming, coming!" Cid yelled out. "Dammit, be patient, why don't you? Geezes."

He smacked himself mentally for thinking too much, tossed the newspaper he was reading aside, and got to his feet. He went to the doors and yanked them open. "What the hell do you want-"

"Hello, Cid. Do you have time for a chat?"

Cid gaped. The toothpick he was chewing on fell.

"Your Majesty? What are you doing here?"

King Mickey stepped into the store.

"Doing a little bit of searching myself. Going on my own journey. Trying to fit in the pieces of a puzzle. Something's not right, Cid, and I'm going to find out why."

"What's not right, Your Majesty?"

"Tetsu."

**Author's Endnote:** Yes, and I leave you all on a cliffhanger. And a hiatus. Rain of Sorrow will be on hiatus until the end of May. I'm sorry. Please review. Thank you.


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